Idaho Census

Population Schedules
Starting in 1790, federal population schedules were taken every 10 years in the United States. Click here for more information about federal census records. Idaho became a territory of the United States in 1863 and admitted as the forty-third state on July 3, 1890. It will not appear on U.S. censuses before 1863.

Non-Population Schedules for Idaho
Federal non-population schedules included such things mortality schedules, agriculture schedules, slave schedules, and manufacturing schedules.

Existing and Lost Censuses

 * List of existing and lost federal censuses for Idaho
 * 1890 Reconstructed 1890 Idaho Census at Idaho State Archives - index
 * 1890 Idaho, Reconstructed Census, 1890 at MyHeritage — index ($)

Online State and Territorial Censuses
State censuses are census records that were taken at the state-level rather than at the federal. Often, but not always, a state took their census in ten year increments 5 years from when the Federal Census was taken, such as 1885. State censuses can even serve as substitutes for missing federal censuses. For more information on state censuses, visit United States Census Bureau. Territorial censuses were taken by the federal government to count the population in federal territories. The government needed to count the population in the territory to see if it could qualify for statehood. For more information on territorial censuses, visit the US Territorial Census page. There are no state censuses for Idaho.

1856 Utah Territorial Census
The 1856 territorial census of Utah included the former "Malad County" whose boundaries are now partly in Idaho, and the former "Green River County" now part of Wyoming. Cache County may also have included a few resident of far southern Idaho. Caution: this census was padded. Most listings are correct, but some were repeated, and in a few cases deceased people were listed.
 * 1856 Utah, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1850-1890 (includes 1856) at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1856 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images

1860 Utah Territorial Census
The Cache County, Utah Territory federal census included a few residents on the Idaho side of the border near Bear Lake. The panhandle part of Idaho was part of Spokane County, Washington Territory but does not seem to have had any white residents.
 * 1860 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($)

Why Use the Census?
State census records can be one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. Information varies based on year and location, but information that may be included in a census can include:
 * Name of each person in the family at the time the census was taken
 * Street or Avenue, or number Rural Free Delivery
 * Sex
 * Age
 * Color
 * Nativity
 * Place of birth of this person
 * Place of birth of Father of this person
 * Place of birth of Mother of this person
 * Period of Residence
 * How long a resident of this State (years and months)
 * How long a resident of this enumeration district (years and months)
 * Regular occupation
 * Military service