1950 United States census

17th US national census

Seventeenth census
of the United States

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| <- 1940 | April 1, 1950 | 1960 ->

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U.S. Census Bureau seal

1950 U.S. census logo

General information
Country| United States
Results
Total population| 151,325,798 ( 14.5%)
Most populous state| New York
14,830,192
Least populous state| Nevada
160,083

The 1950 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 151,325,798, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 census.[1]

This was the first census in which:

* More than one state recorded a population of over 10 million
* Every state and territory recorded a population of over 100,000
* All 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 100,000

On April 1, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration released scanned census enumeration sheets to the general public, in accordance with the 72 year rule. [2] It is most recent census to have full public availability.

## Census questions

[edit]

The 1950 census collected the following information from all respondents:[3]

* address
* whether house is on a farm
* name
* relationship to head of household
* race
* sex
* age
* marital status
* birthplace
* if foreign born, whether naturalized
* employment status
* hours worked in week
* occupation, industry and class of worker

In addition, a sample of individuals were asked additional questions covering income, marital history, fertility, and other topics. Full documentation on the 1950 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

## Data availability

[edit]

A clerk creating punch cards containing data from the census.

Microdata from the 1950 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. All identifiable information in the census became available in April 2022 upon the release of the images taken by the National Archives and Records Administration.[4]

On April 1, 2022, 72 years after the census was taken, the National Archives and Records Administration released scanned census enumeration sheets to the general public.[2] The census data was also made freely searchable by name on other websites.[5] Genealogy companies Ancestry and FamilySearch partnered to use AI and human volunteers to review an index of all names listed on the 1950 census forms.

## State rankings

[edit]

A map showing the population change of each US State by percentage.

Rank  | State  | Population as of
1950 census  | Population as of
1940 census  | Change  | Percent
change

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  New York | 14,830,192  | 13,479,142  | 1,351,050  | 10.0%

2  |  California | 10,586,223  | 6,907,387  | 3,678,836  | 53.3%

3  |  Pennsylvania | 10,498,012  | 9,900,180  | 597,832  | 6.0%

4  |  Illinois | 8,712,176  | 7,897,241  | 814,935  | 10.3%

5  |  Ohio | 7,946,627  | 6,907,612  | 1,039,015  | 15.0%

6  |  Texas | 7,711,194  | 6,414,824  | 1,296,370  | 20.2%

7  |  Michigan | 6,371,766  | 5,256,106  | 1,115,660  | 21.2%

8  |  New Jersey | 4,835,329  | 4,160,165  | 675,164  | 16.2%

9  |  Massachusetts | 4,690,514  | 4,316,721  | 373,793  | 8.7%

10  |  North Carolina | 4,061,929  | 3,571,623  | 490,306  | 13.7%

11  |  Missouri | 3,954,653  | 3,784,664  | 169,989  | 4.5%

12  |  Indiana | 3,934,224  | 3,427,796  | 506,428  | 14.8%

13  |  Georgia | 3,444,578  | 3,123,723  | 320,855  | 10.3%

14  |  Wisconsin | 3,434,575  | 3,137,587  | 296,988  | 9.5%

15  |  Virginia | 3,318,680  | 2,677,773  | 640,907  | 23.9%

16  |  Tennessee | 3,291,718  | 2,915,841  | 375,877  | 12.9%

17  |  Alabama | 3,061,743  | 2,832,961  | 228,782  | 8.1%

18  |  Minnesota | 2,982,483  | 2,792,300  | 190,183  | 6.8%

19  |  Kentucky | 2,944,806  | 2,845,627  | 99,179  | 3.5%

20  |  Florida | 2,771,305  | 1,897,414  | 873,891  | 46.1%

21  |  Louisiana | 2,683,516  | 2,363,516  | 320,000  | 13.5%

22  |  Iowa | 2,621,073  | 2,538,268  | 82,805  | 3.3%

23  |  Washington | 2,378,963  | 1,736,191  | 642,772  | 37.0%

24  |  Maryland | 2,343,001  | 1,821,244  | 521,757  | 28.6%

25  |  Oklahoma | 2,233,351  | 2,336,434  | −103,083  | −4.4%

26  |  Mississippi | 2,178,914  | 2,183,796  | −4,882  | −0.2%

27  |  South Carolina | 2,117,027  | 1,899,804  | 217,223  | 11.4%

28  |  Connecticut | 2,007,280  | 1,709,242  | 298,038  | 17.4%

29  |  West Virginia | 2,005,552  | 1,901,974  | 103,578  | 5.4%

30  |  Arkansas | 1,909,511  | 1,949,387  | −39,876  | −2.0%

31  |  Kansas | 1,905,299  | 1,801,028  | 104,271  | 5.8%

32  |  Oregon | 1,521,341  | 1,089,684  | 431,657  | 39.6%

33  |  Nebraska | 1,325,510  | 1,315,834  | 9,676  | 0.7%

34  |  Colorado | 1,325,089  | 1,123,296  | 201,793  | 18.0%

35  |  Maine | 913,774  | 847,226  | 66,548  | 7.9%

—  |  District of Columbia | 802,178  | 663,091  | 139,087  | 21.0%

36  |  Rhode Island | 791,896  | 713,346  | 78,550  | 11.0%

37  |  Arizona | 749,587  | 499,261  | 250,326  | 50.1%

38  |  Utah | 688,862  | 550,310  | 138,552  | 25.2%

39  |  New Mexico | 681,187  | 531,818  | 149,369  | 28.1%

40  |  South Dakota | 652,740  | 642,961  | 9,779  | 1.5%

41  |  North Dakota | 619,636  | 641,935  | −22,299  | −3.5%

42  |  Montana | 591,024  | 559,456  | 31,568  | 5.6%

43  |  Idaho | 588,637  | 524,873  | 63,764  | 12.1%

44  |  New Hampshire | 533,242  | 491,524  | 41,718  | 8.5%

—  |  Hawaii | 499,794  | 422,770  | 77,024  | 18.2%

45  |  Vermont | 377,747  | 359,231  | 18,516  | 5.2%

46  |  Delaware | 318,085  | 266,505  | 51,580  | 19.4%

47  |  Wyoming | 290,529  | 250,742  | 39,787  | 15.9%

48  |  Nevada | 160,083  | 110,247  | 49,836  | 45.2%

—  |  Alaska | 128,643  | 72,524  | 56,119  | 77.4%

—  |  United States | 151,325,798  | 132,164,569  | 19,161,229  | 14.5%

## City rankings

[edit]

Rank | City | State | Population[6] | Region (2016)[7]

|
|
|
|

01 | New York | New York | 7,891,957 | Northeast
02 | Chicago | Illinois | 3,620,962 | Midwest
03 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 2,071,605 | Northeast
04 | Los Angeles | California | 1,970,358 | West
05 | Detroit | Michigan | 1,849,568 | Midwest
06 | Baltimore | Maryland | 949,708 | South
07 | Cleveland | Ohio | 914,808 | Midwest
08 | St. Louis | Missouri | 856,796 | Midwest
09 | Washington | District of Columbia | 802,178 | South
10 | Boston | Massachusetts | 801,444 | Northeast
11 | San Francisco | California | 775,357 | West
12 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 676,806 | Northeast
13 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 637,392 | Midwest
14 | Houston | Texas | 596,163 | South
15 | Buffalo | New York | 580,132 | Northeast
16 | New Orleans | Louisiana | 570,445 | South
17 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | 521,718 | Midwest
18 | Cincinnati | Ohio | 503,998 | Midwest
19 | Seattle | Washington | 467,591 | West
20 | Kansas City | Missouri | 456,622 | Midwest
21 | Newark | New Jersey | 438,776 | Northeast
22 | Dallas | Texas | 434,462 | South
23 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 427,173 | Midwest
24 | Denver | Colorado | 415,786 | West
25 | San Antonio | Texas | 408,442 | South
26 | Memphis | Tennessee | 396,000 | South
27 | Oakland | California | 384,575 | West
28 | Columbus | Ohio | 375,901 | Midwest
29 | Portland | Oregon | 373,628 | West
30 | Louisville | Kentucky | 369,129 | South
31 | San Diego | California | 334,387 | West
32 | Rochester | New York | 332,488 | Northeast
33 | Atlanta | Georgia | 331,314 | South
34 | Birmingham | Alabama | 326,037 | South
35 | Saint Paul | Minnesota | 311,349 | Midwest
36 | Toledo | Ohio | 303,616 | Midwest
37 | Jersey City | New Jersey | 299,017 | Northeast
38 | Fort Worth | Texas | 278,778 | South
39 | Akron | Ohio | 274,605 | Midwest
40 | Omaha | Nebraska | 251,117 | Midwest
41 | Long Beach | California | 250,767 | West
42 | Miami | Florida | 249,276 | South
43 | Providence | Rhode Island | 248,674 | Northeast
44 | Dayton | Ohio | 243,872 | Midwest
45 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 243,504 | South
46 | Richmond | Virginia | 230,310 | South
47 | Syracuse | New York | 220,583 | Northeast
48 | Norfolk | Virginia | 213,513 | South
49 | Jacksonville | Florida | 204,517 | South
50 | Worcester | Massachusetts | 203,486 | Northeast
51 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | 182,740 | South
52 | Salt Lake City | Utah | 182,121 | West
53 | Des Moines | Iowa | 177,965 | Midwest
54 | Hartford | Connecticut | 177,397 | Northeast
55 | Grand Rapids | Michigan | 176,515 | Midwest
56 | Nashville | Tennessee | 174,307 | South
57 | Youngstown | Ohio | 168,330 | Midwest
58 | Wichita | Kansas | 168,279 | Midwest
59 | New Haven | Connecticut | 164,443 | Northeast
60 | Flint | Michigan | 163,143 | Midwest
61 | Springfield | Massachusetts | 162,399 | Northeast
62 | Spokane | Washington | 161,721 | West
63 | Bridgeport | Connecticut | 158,709 | Northeast
64 | Yonkers | New York | 152,798 | Northeast
65 | Tacoma | Washington | 143,673 | West
66 | Paterson | New Jersey | 139,336 | Northeast
67 | Sacramento | California | 137,572 | West
68 | Arlington | Virginia | 135,449 | South
69 | Albany | New York | 134,995 | Northeast
70 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 134,042 | South
71 | Gary | Indiana | 133,911 | Midwest
72 | Fort Wayne | Indiana | 133,607 | Midwest
73 | Austin | Texas | 132,459 | South
74 | Chattanooga | Tennessee | 131,041 | South
75 | Erie | Pennsylvania | 130,803 | Northeast
76 | El Paso | Texas | 130,485 | South
77 | Kansas City | Kansas | 129,553 | Midwest
78 | Mobile | Alabama | 129,009 | South
79 | Evansville | Indiana | 128,636 | Midwest
80 | Trenton | New Jersey | 128,009 | Northeast
81 | Shreveport | Louisiana | 127,206 | South
82 | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 125,629 | South
83 | Scranton | Pennsylvania | 125,536 | Northeast
84 | Knoxville | Tennessee | 124,769 | South
85 | Tampa | Florida | 124,681 | South
86 | Camden | New Jersey | 124,555 | Northeast
87 | Cambridge | Massachusetts | 120,740 | Northeast
88 | Savannah | Georgia | 119,638 | South
89 | Canton | Ohio | 116,912 | Midwest
90 | South Bend | Indiana | 115,911 | Midwest
91 | Berkeley | California | 113,805 | West
92 | Elizabeth | New Jersey | 112,817 | Northeast
93 | Fall River | Massachusetts | 111,963 | Northeast
94 | Peoria | Illinois | 111,856 | Midwest
95 | Wilmington | Delaware | 110,356 | South
96 | Reading | Pennsylvania | 109,320 | Northeast
97 | New Bedford | Massachusetts | 109,189 | Northeast
98 | Corpus Christi | Texas | 108,287 | South
99 | Phoenix | Arizona | 106,818 | West
100 | Allentown | Pennsylvania | 106,756 | Northeast

## Locations of 50 most populous cities

[edit]

New York

Chicago

Philadelphia

Los Angeles

Detroit

Baltimore

Cleveland

St. Louis

Washington

Boston

San Francisco

Pittsburgh

Milwaukee

Houston

Buffalo

New Orleans

Minneapolis

Cincinnati

Seattle

Kansas City

Newark

Dallas

Indianapolis

Denver

San Antonio

Memphis

Oakland

Columbus

Portland

Louisville

San Diego

Rochester

Atlanta

Birmingham

Saint Paul

Toledo

Jersey City

Fort Worth

Akron

Omaha

Long Beach

Miami

Providence

Dayton

Oklahoma City

Richmond

San Juan

Syracuse

Norfolk

Jacksonville

class=notpageimage|

Location of 50 largest cities by population in the United States in 1950

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Population and Area (Historical Censuses)" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
2. ^ a b "1950 Census on Track for 2022 Release, Despite Pandemic". National Archives and Records Administration. April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
3. ^ "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925". New York State Library. October 1981. p. 45. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
4. ^ "The "72-Year Rule" – History". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
5. ^ "Free 1950 Census Search". Historic Journals LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
6. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, United States Census Bureau, 1998
7. ^ "Regions and Divisions". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Historic US Census data
* 1951 U.S Census Report Contains 1950 census results

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