Iowa Census

United States   U.S. Census    Iowa    Census

Understanding Iowa Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city. Censuses are conducted to understand the population density, geographical distribution, as well as the makeup of the population in terms of age, sex, and race.

Iowa, with its present boundaries, officially achieved statehood in 1846. The 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 and 1925 state censuses are the only census records enumerated of all counties of the state.

The first Federal Iowa census records begin in 1840 and there has been one every ten years since. The censuses through 1940 are available to the public. These counted the population as of the following dates:

1790-1820: First Monday in August 1830-1900: June 1 (June 2 in 1890) 1910: April 15 1920: January 1 1930: April 1 1940: April 1

Federal population schedules
Many federal census records on microfilm are at the following archives:


 * State Historical Society (in Des Moines and Iowa City)
 * Family History Library (Iowa censuses from 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930)
 * National Archives

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

Microfilm images
The State Historical Society (in Des Moines and Iowa City) and the Family History Library have copies of the mortality schedules.


 * 1880 films 1421011-14
 * 1870 films 1421008-10
 * 1860 film 1421007]
 * 1850 film 1421006])

Like the census, these records are arranged by county and then by town.

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

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
Iowa took censuses in different years than the federal censuses. These censuses may have different data compared to federal censuses. Check these censuses for more information on a family.

Iowa state censuses are available at:


 * The State Historical Society in Des Moines and the Family History Library (Iowa censuses through 1925).
 * The State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City (all Iowa censuses except 1905).


 * 1925 Statewide Indexes exist for the following cities: Boone, Cedar Falls, Centerville, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Council Bluffs, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Waterloo, Davenport, and Des Moines. Note that the 1925 census images available at Ancestry.com includes only the first page of the four pages of information.
 * 1915 Statewide, alphabetical by county
 * 1905 Statewide
 * 1897 (town of New Hampton, Chickasaw)
 * 1896 (town of Oelwein, Fayette County)
 * 1895 Statewide including St. Francis Convent, and St. Mary's Orphan Home in Dubuque County, and the Iowa Soldiers Home , Marshall County
 * 1893 (town of Mystic, Appanoose County, town of Hampton, Franklin County, town of Ames, Story County, town of Bloomfield, Davis County, town of Nevada, Story County, and town of West Union, Fayette County)
 * 1892 (town of Carroll, Carroll County, town of Eagle Grove, Wright County, town of Estherville, Emmett County, town of Greene, Jefferson County, and town of Tama, Tama County)
 * 1891 (town of Emmetsburg, Palo Alto County, town of Spencer, Clay County, town of Villisca, Montgomery County)
 * 1889 (town of Cherokee, Cherokee County)
 * 1888 (town of Algona, Kossuth County)
 * 1885 Statewide including College for the Blind, Vinton, Benton County
 * 1882 (town of Keokuk, Lee County)
 * 1881 (Mason City, Cerro Gordo County)
 * 1859 Statewide including Black Hawk, Buchanan, Carrol, Montgomery, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Scott, Union, and Washington counties
 * 1856 Statewide , all 80 counties (except Warren) including Calhoun , Franklin , Hardin , Kossuth , and Story counties
 * 1854 Statewide  50 counties including Dallas, Henry , Story , and Wayne counties
 * 1853 Warren County only
 * 1852 Statewide   39 counties including Appanoose County
 * 1851 Statewide  including Cedar, Clinton, Decatur, Guthrie, Iowa, Johnson, Madison, Mahaska, Page, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Scott, and Washington counties
 * 1850 Van Buren County only
 * 1849 Statewide including Benton, Boone, Clinton, Jackson, Louisa, Madison, Poweshiek, Scott, Van Buren, and Washington counties
 * 1847 Statewide  including Clinton , Davis  , Louisa, Marion , Scott, Van Buren , and Wapello counties
 * 1846 Territory-wide  including Louisa , Polk, and Wapello counties
 * 1844 Keokuk County only
 * 1840 Territory
 * 1838 (As part of Wisconsin Territory) including Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Johnson, Lee, Louisia, Muscatine, Slaughter, and Van Buren counties
 * 1836 (As part of Wisconsin Territory) including Dubuque and Des Moines  counties

Census Substitutes

 * 1856 a census substitute for many cities in Iowa is Elsie L. Sopp, Personal Name Index to the 1856 City Directories of Iowa. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1980. [].

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Iowa censuses, 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.

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

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Iowa State Census, 1885 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Iowa 1895 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)