Find your ancestors using the U.S. census:

A historical record of the entire U.S. population, the census is the nation’s largest record set for family history and genealogy. Taken every ten years, from 1790 to the present day, each entry provides a unique snapshot of the lives of your ancestors. We bring this vast resource to you here online.

The original records, made available by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to censusrecords.com, can be viewed for free on microfiche rolls at the NARA offices in Washington DC. At censusrecords.com we have made it easy for you by making the

records searchable by name, birth year, city and more from the comfort of your home.

What was in each census? For a quick review of each census year’s census data, visit our year by year quick census facts.

What can I do on the census?

• Search for free - Search the whole census to add vital branches to your family tree. See transcribed details of your ancestors and the original census images. Find out where your family lived, who else lived there and where they worked.
• Pay to view - Once you are sure of the record you want, you can register to buy credits using our PayAsYouGo option, and view, print and save a typed transcript or an image of the original handwritten page. Alternatively you can subscribe to the site and have unllimited access to all records.

Help & Advice

• What is a census?
• How much does it cost to view the records?
• What search features are available?
• What is an original page?
• What is a transcript?
• How can I find out more about my ancestors?

1940 Census - Free Access

• You can now view 1940 census images for FREE. So start searching now.

Payment options / subscription

• Pay As You Go - Use a credit or debit card for instant access to digital transcripts and images of original census documents.
• Subscribe - Take out a subscription and view records in the census as many times as you would like.