LibGuides: Using the Census Website: 1900

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About the U.S. Census Bureau

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Publication Date: 2014-12-05

Census Fast Facts by Decade
Census Overview by Decade
Index of Questions, 1790-2000 The first censuses counted the population and provided information on population by county. In 1790, the census also categorized white males by age: those under age 16 and those age 16 and older. Over the years, Congress has authorized additional questions, enabling us to better understand the nation's inhabitants and their activities and needs. In fact, one of the nation's founders, James Madison, suggested that the census takers ask additional questions that would help lawmakers better understand the needs of the nation. For example, the 1810 Census also collected economic data (on the quantity and value of manufactured goods). In 1850, the census began collecting "social statistics" (information about taxes, education, crime, and value of estate, etc.) and mortality data. In 1940, additional questions were asked of a sample of the population, including questions on internal migration, veteran status, and the number of children ever born to women. These questions helped society understand the impact of the Great Depression. Through the decades, the census has collected data on race, ancestry, education, health, housing, and transportation. An examination of the questions asked during each census illustrates changes in our nation's understanding of race, the impact of immigration, growth of the Hispanic population, and computer usage. As a result of the census's evolution, the constitutionally mandated census has grown to provide important information about the U.S. population and its housing. Coupled with data from the economic and government censuses and demographic and economic surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau provides governments, scholars, planners, businesses, and individuals the data they need to build schools, plan highways, open businesses, and distribute the billions of dollars in federal spending that sustains a growing population.

1900 Census Information

Highlights:

12th Decennial Census.
U.S. Population: 76,303,387.
Cost: $11,854,000.

Questions:

For 1900, the Census Office dropped the "family questionnaire" form style and reverted to filling entire sheets of information on residents. The informations gathered by enumerators for the 1900 census, organized by column, is:

General Population Schedule

Number of dwelling home in order of visitation by enumerator
Number of family in order of visitation by enumerator
Name
Relation to head of the family
Color or Race

Enumerators were to mark "W" for White, "B" for Black, "Ch" for Chinese, "Jp" for Japanese, or "In" for American Indian.
Sex
Date of Birth
Age
Was the person single, married, widowed, or divorced?
How many years has the person been married?
For mothers, how many children has the person had?
How many of those children are living?
What was the person's place of birth?
What was the person's father's place of birth?
What was the person's mother's place of birth?
What year did the person immigrate to the United States?
How many years has the person been in the United States?
Is the person naturalized?
Occupation, trade, or profession
How many months has the person not been employed in the past year?
How many months did the person attend school in the past year?
Can the person read?
Can the person write?
Can the person speak English?
Is the person's home owned or rented?
If it is owned, is the person's home owned free or mortgaged?
Does the person live in a farm or in a house?
If a person lived on a farm, the enumerator was to write that farm's identification number on its corresponding agricultural questionnaire in this column

Indian Population Schedule

Enumerators were instructed to use a special expanded questionnaire for American Indians living on reservations or in family groups off of reservations. The first 28 questions on the schedule are nearly identical to those asked to the general population. The only difference is that enumerators were instructed to mark "Ration Indian" in the occupation column for those American Indians who were wholly dependent on government aid for support. Enumerators were to mark "R" next to the occupation of those who were partly dependent on government aid. The following additional information, listed by column number, was collected from persons listed on the Indian population schedule:

Indian Name
Tribe of this person
Tribe of this person's father
Tribe of this person's mother
Fraction of person's lineage that is white
Is this person living in polygamy?
Is this person taxed?

An American Indian was considered "taxed" if he or she was detached from his or her tribe and was living in the White community and subject to general taxation, or had been alloted land by the federal government and thus acquired citizenship.
If this person has acquired American citizenship, what year?
Did this person acquire citizenship by receiving an allotment of land from the federal government?
Is this person's house "movable" or "fixed?"

Enumerators were to mark "movable" if the person lived in a tent, tepee, or other temporary structure; they were to mark "fixed" if he or she lived in a permanent dwelling of any kind.

1900 Census Fast Facts
1900 Census Overview
Index of Questions, 1790-2000 The first censuses counted the population and provided information on population by county. In 1790, the census also categorized white males by age: those under age 16 and those age 16 and older. Over the years, Congress has authorized additional questions, enabling us to better understand the nation's inhabitants and their activities and needs. In fact, one of the nation's founders, James Madison, suggested that the census takers ask additional questions that would help lawmakers better understand the needs of the nation. For example, the 1810 Census also collected economic data (on the quantity and value of manufactured goods). In 1850, the census began collecting "social statistics" (information about taxes, education, crime, and value of estate, etc.) and mortality data. In 1940, additional questions were asked of a sample of the population, including questions on internal migration, veteran status, and the number of children ever born to women. These questions helped society understand the impact of the Great Depression. Through the decades, the census has collected data on race, ancestry, education, health, housing, and transportation. An examination of the questions asked during each census illustrates changes in our nation's understanding of race, the impact of immigration, growth of the Hispanic population, and computer usage. As a result of the census's evolution, the constitutionally mandated census has grown to provide important information about the U.S. population and its housing. Coupled with data from the economic and government censuses and demographic and economic surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau provides governments, scholars, planners, businesses, and individuals the data they need to build schools, plan highways, open businesses, and distribute the billions of dollars in federal spending that sustains a growing population.
Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000
Population & Housing Items on the General Schedule of the Census, 1790-2000

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Using the Census Bureau Guide
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