Louisiana Census Records

This year we will all be invited to participate in the 2020 Federal Census, opens a new window, marking the 24^th time that the United States has conducted a national census since 1790. For Louisiana, though, this will actually be the 22^nd time the state has been included in the count. As Louisiana did not become a state until 1812, its residents were first counted in the 1810 census.

Census records, opens a new window provide a snapshot of a household at a given moment in time, and can provide a wealth of information, including name, age, home address, family relationships, profession and birthplace. In later census years, you can see details like whether someone was illiterate, whether they owned their home, whether they were a veteran, and even (in 1930), whether they owned a radio or not. Louisiana census records can be an invaluable resource for researching your own ancestors and local history, and the library has a number of ways for you to access them.

You can view the federal census schedules for Louisiana on microfilm from 1810-1930. Online, opens a new window, you can search digitized images of the 1810-1940 censuses through Ancestry, FamilySearch, American Ancestors and Heritage Quest, all of which you have access to through the library. We also have some published indexes to Louisiana census records, arranged by year and by parish.

Special federal censuses were also conducted in Louisiana:

All of the special censuses for Louisiana are available for research through Ancestry. In the Genealogy Room, we have the 1850-1880 mortality schedules on microfilm, the Union veterans schedules on microfilm and in print, and the 1860 agricultural schedules in print.

Prior to 1810, we do have Louisiana census records from the French and Spanish periods. See the list below for our published holdings. Happy hunting!

List created by STPLGenealogyCovington

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