California Census

Online Resources

 * United States Online Census, 1790-1940
 * California Spanish Mission Censuses, 1796-1798 Index and images ($)
 * Index only
 * California State Census, 1852 Index and images ($)
 * California, Index to Census Roll of Indians, 1928-1933, index and images, ($).

Tips

 * If at first you don't find a name, try again under another spelling.
 * Photocopy each ancestor's census. Identify where you found it.
 * Look for an ancestor in every census during her or his lifetime.
 * On the family group record show each person's census listings.
 * Study others in the same household, neighbors, and anyone with the similar names nearby on the census in community context.


 * For a list of the exact date of each federal census, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

State Censuses

 * California Spanish Mission Censuses, 1796-1798 Index and images ($)
 * Index only
 * California State Census, 1852 Index and images ($)

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of California, click here

Microfilm images
Family History Library Federal Census Non-Population Schedule Microfilms for California


 * 1880 Special census of Indians

National Archives' Federal Census 'Non-Population ScheduleMicrofilms for California


 * 1935 Census of Business

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of California, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
California often took censuses in the years between the federal censuses, the dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.


 * The California State Library and the Family History Library have copies of a state census of 1852 -909234. This census gives information on the entire household, including an individual's state or country of birth and last residence.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

California 1852 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Pre-statehood lists (called padrons) of Spanish, Mexican, and Indian residents have been published in The Quarterly (Historical Society of Southern California), Volumes 15, 18, 41-43, 54 . Especially helpful are the Los Angeles censuses of 1790, 1836, and 1844. The original records are scattered among various archives. The Family History Library has copies on microfilm.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing California censuses, click here.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types