1920 Census Findings

Soundex: The 1920 census was the last census which was fully "soundexed".  The soundexing system uses a numbering system for letters allowing a name to be indexed by the way it sounds, rather than the way it is spelled.  The 1920 census was indexed by Soundex indexing before the government halted this process due to the need for employees to work in the war efforts.  Unfortunately for those of us pursuing our family history, the indexing was never resumed, meaning later census years will not have Soundex indexes.

Indians were enumerated with the regular population schedules on this census.  There are not any separate schedules for Indians as in the past census years. 

The original 1920 census schedules were destroyed by the government so there not any originals to check if the microfilm copies are difficult to read.

Women will more often be found in the 1920 census listed as the head of household than in past census years so if you are having a difficult time locating a male ancestor, try searching for the wife as the head of household.

1920 Census Records Online at Ancestry - Learn about the 1920 Census Records & how to access the census index and images.

Free Download: 1920 Census Form will come in handy to record your ancestors in the 1920 census. 

See 1920 census form headers - This is the actual top of the census form used to record the 1920 census.

1920 Census Search

Which States Were Included in 1920 Census Records?

All of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were enumerated in the 1920 census.

Where Can 1920 US Census Data be found?

1. Census Finder Census Directory - This is our own directory of free census records which can be found online.  Our directory is categorized by state and county and we have attempted to list every census index, census transcription, and even census images which can be found online.  Also See 1920 Census Search

To access the directory, Choose a State: Alabama Census, Alaska Census, Arizona Census, Arkansas Census, California Census, Colorado Census, Connecticut Census, Delaware Census, District of Columbia Census, Florida Census, Georgia Census, Hawaii Census, Idaho Census, Illinois Census, Indiana Census, Iowa Census, Kansas Census, Kentucky Census, Louisiana Census, Maine Census, Maryland Census, Massachusetts Census, Michigan Census, Minnesota Census, Mississippi Census, Missouri Census, Montana Census, Nebraska Census, Nevada Census, New Hampshire Census, New Jersey Census, New Mexico Census, New York Census, North Carolina Census, North Dakota Census, Ohio Census, Oklahoma Census, Oregon Census, Pennsylvania Census, Rhode Island Census, South Carolina Census, South Dakota Census, Tennessee Census, Texas Census, Utah Census, Vermont Census, Virginia Census, Washington Census, West Virginia Census, Wisconsin Census, Wyoming Census

2. Ancestry.com Census Records   Ancestry.com has completed the database of all US census records 1790-1940.  This is the greatest tool for genealogy research in the United States to be found online and it does include the entire collection of 1920 census records enumerated in the United States.  While it is a paid subscription, it is well worth the money and they have so many more genealogy records in their databases.

3. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)  The archives maintained by the Federal US Government contains all United States Federal census records on microfilm.  They are in the process of placing their census collections online.  On their site, you will find an online catalog of available microfilm and a lot of useful information about what is available for census research.  See Clues in Census Records 1850-1930.

4. FamilySearch.org The LDS (Latter Day Saints) Library in Salt Lake City also maintains the entire set of US Federal census microfilm and these can also be found or ordered for a fee at Family History Libraries located throughout the United States.  You can search for a Family History Library near you using this search.  The LDS Church is also putting many census records and genealogical indexes online and these can be accessed on their site.  Search at FamilySearch.org at Discover Your Family History and you may also view the entire list of LDS online records here.

5. Local libraries will often have history and genealogy departments with a (usually incomplete) collection of microfilm available for research and sometimes they will offer their patrons online subscriptions which can be accessed while at the library.

What questions were asked on the US Census?