Census of Population, 1950 [United States]: Public Use Microdata Sample (ICPSR 8251)

Published: Jan 18, 2006

Principal Investigator(s):
United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR08251.v1

Version V1

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Project Description

Summary

This data collection contains a stratified 1-percent sample of households, with separate records for each household, each "sample line" respondent, and each person in the household. These records were encoded from microfilm copies of original handwritten enumeration schedules from the 1950 Census of Population. Geographic identification of the location of the sampled households includes Census regions and divisions, states (except Alaska and Hawaii), Standard Metropolitan Areas (SMAs), and State Economic Areas (SEAs). The data collection was constructed from and consists of 20 independently-drawn subsamples stored in 20 discrete physical files. The 1950 Census had both a complete-count and a sample component. Individuals selected for the sample component were asked a set of additional questions. Only households with a sample line person were included in the 1950 Public Use Microdata Sample. The collection also contains records of group quarters members who were also on the Census sample line. Each household record contains variables describing the location and composition of the household. The sample line records contain variables describing demographic characteristics such as nativity, marital status, number of children, veteran status, education, income, and occupation. The person records contain demographic variables such as nativity, marital status, family membership, and occupation.

Citation

United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. Census of Population, 1950 [United States]: Public Use Microdata Sample. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2006-01-18. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR08251.v1

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Funding

National Science Foundation (SES-7704135)

Subject Terms

census data census divisions census regions children demographic characteristics ethnicity families household composition housing income marriage metropolitan statistical areas military service occupations population states (USA) vital statistics work

Geographic Coverage

North Carolina Indiana Wyoming Utah Arizona Montana Kentucky California Kansas Florida Delaware Pennsylvania Mississippi Iowa Illinois Texas Connecticut Georgia Virginia Maryland Idaho Vermont Oregon United States Oklahoma Maine Tennessee Alabama Arkansas South Carolina Washington Nebraska West Virginia Massachusetts Colorado Missouri Alaska North Dakota Wisconsin Nevada Rhode Island South Dakota Hawaii Minnesota New York (state) New Jersey Michigan New Mexico New Hampshire Louisiana Ohio

Scope of Project

Time Period(s)

1950

Date of Collection

1978 -- 1983

Data Collection Notes

Each of the hierarchical files contains three record types (household, sample line, and person). There are a total of 2,844,458 data records: 461,130 household records, 461,130 sample line records, and 1,922,198 person records. Within each of the 20 data files, records are sequenced by state. Extracting all of the records for one state entails reading through all 20 files and selecting that state's records from each of the files.

Methodology

Sample

Random selection of households with person(s) who answered the additional sample line questions. The collections also contain records of people living in group quarters who were also on the census sample line.

Universe

All people and households within the United States recorded on the 1950 Census.

Data Source

microfilm copies of original handwritten enumeration schedules from the 1950 Census

Data Type(s)

census/enumeration data

Version(s)

Original Release Date

1984-11-12

Version Date

2006-01-18

Version History

2006-01-18 File CB8251.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.

Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented.

This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.