Puerto Rico Census

Census Records

 * The Federal Population Census is an inventory of everyone living in the United States and its territories.
 * A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date.
 * A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.

Time Coverage
The Treaty of Paris (1898) ceded Puerto Rico to the United States (from Spain). Only U.S. Military and Naval Forces were included in the 1900 census of Puerto Rico. However, civilians have been included ever since then.

To find ancestors living in Puerto Rico in 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 search the US Census online databases as if you were searching in an American state.

Content
These links will help you learn the information available in each census:
 * US Census Headings 1870-1930
 * US Census Headings 1940
 * What You'll Learn in the Census Year by Year Ancestry.com ($) Comparison table of census headings

Available on Microfilm
Federal census records on microfilm are available from the Family History Library and Family History Centers, and Regional Branches of U.S. National Archives.

1899. Report on the Census of Puerto Rico, 1899 (Washington, DC : U.S. G.P.O., 1900).

1900. For a Soundex index on microfilm for Puerto Rico, see the U.S. . For a microfilm of the U.S. military population schedules, see FHL film.

1910. For 28 microfilms of the population schedules in Puerto Rico, see .

1920. For a Soundex index and populations schedules on microfilm, see .

1930. For 30 microfilms of the population schedules, see .

Sources and Footnotes
Censos de Puerto Rico, Estados Unidos