Mexico National Census, 1930 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
México, Censo Nacional de 1930.

Collection Time Period
Mexico’s first national census was conducted in 1895, but this information pertains to records for the year 1930.

Record Description
Population schedules consist of large sheets with rows and columns. The sheets are arranged in bundles by municipality and then by place, such as city, village, or ranch. The original schedules are at the National Archives (Archivo General de la Nación) in Mexico City. The records have been preserved on microfilm by the Genealogical Society of Utah

Record Content
The 1930 census includes the following 'genealogical signficant 'information: 


 * Full name
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Head of household
 * Birthplace
 * Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced
 * Whether married civilly or by the church
 * Nationality
 * Religion
 * Occupation
 * Native language
 * Street address and house number

How to Use the Records
The Mexico 1930 Census is the best source to quickly identify a family group and residence. With the information found, take your ancestor’s age, place of residence, and birth state (if available) to search for him/her in other records. The census identifies other people living in the household and may identify people for whom other records simply do not exist. You need to know the name of your ancestor for those places that are indexed. If the ancestor has a common name, you must know the place of residence to determine which index entry is the correct one. If you do not find your ancestor in the index, use the place of residence and search that place page by page. An important clue found in the Mexico 1930 Census is found in the answer to the question of whether the person was married civilly or by the church. The answer to this question will lead either to find a marriage record in the Civil Registration or the Marriage records of the Catholic Church.

Record History
While earlier attempts were made to enumerate the Mexican population, the 1895 census was considered the first federal or national census. Beginning in 1900, censuses were conducted every 10 years. The 1930 census was conducted on May 15 and was the first census in which returns were processed centrally. Because of this, most of sheets still exist. This census is widely recognized as one of Mexico’s best planned and executed censuses, and it is also the only one accessible to the public. Due to under counting and some record loss, primarily for the Federal District, the 1930 census covers about 78 percent of the population, not 90% as previously reported.(This figure is based on 12.8 mill.ion persons in the Ancestry.com database extracted from this census compared with a total population in 1930 for all of Mexico in 1930 of 16,552,722 (see http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/atlas_mexico/population_1930.jpg). Since the population of Mexico City was 1,029,000 in 1930, there was records loss in areas beyond the Federal District as well, accounting for another 2 million plus persons not covered in the database placed online by Ancestry.com in September 2011.

Why This Collection Was Created
Mexico conducted its national census for demographic and statistical purposes.

Record Reliability
The Mexico 1930 Census is usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care taken by the census enumerator. Realize that information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or even by a neighbor. Some information may be incorrect or have been deliberately falsified.

Related Web Sites
1930 Census of Mexico - Rosenfeld

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Mexico Census

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection:
"Mexico Census, 1930." index and images, FamilySearch (https://ww.familysearch.org: accessed 24 March 2011). entry for Guadalupe Garcia, age 65; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 1,464,086; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática, Cuidad de México, México.

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"Mexico Census, 1930", index and images,FamilySearch; from Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática, Ciudad de México, México. 5º Censo de población, 1930, Archivo General de la Nación, Ciudad de México, México. FHL microfilm, 55 reels. Family History Library, Salt lake City, Utah.