1980 census tracts, standard metropolitan statistical area :
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1980) from AGSL Digital Collections
The Census Bureau is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, one of the executive departments of the federal government. The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.
Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790. As required by the U.S. Constitution, a census has been taken every 10 years thereafter. In 1840, the Census Act authorized the establishment of a centralized Census Office. In 1902, the Census Office became a permanent organization within the Department of Interior. A year later, it was renamed the Bureau of the Census and moved to the new Department of Commerce and Labor. [source] The Census Bureau operates under the authorities of Title 13 and Title 26 of the U.S. Code. [source]
In the above video, UWM Professor Emerita Margo Anderson briefly describes the evolution of the United States Census.
1980 census tracts, standard metropolitan statistical area :
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1980) from AGSL Digital Collections
In general, census refers to a complete collection of all required information from respondents (enumeration), usually of a population, but can also include businesses and commercial establishments, housing, farms, governments, and so forth. Every 10 years (decennially), the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census to determine the number of people living in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the census in years ending in zero, on Census Day, which is April 1. The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Sections 2 and 9, directs that a census or enumeration be taken. [source]
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers . . . The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.
The data collected by the decennial census are used to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Apportionment is the process of dividing the seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the population figures collected during the decennial census. Redistricting is when state officials redraw the boundaries of the congressional and state legislative districts in their states after each census. [source].
The available data related to the Decennial Census can be divided into two major categories suitable for your research: raw data (original documentation without any manipulation, organization, or analysis) and preprocessed data (data which was already manipulated or organized to be suitable for further analysis). Please click on a category you are interested in below to learn more.
Raw data related to the Decennial Census is represented by the original census records and the maps showing names of political jurisdictions (counties, cities, townships, and so forth), roads, waterways, and large properties, such as parks, cemeteries, prisons, golf courses, and so forth - enumeration districts.
According to the United States Census Bureau [source], records from the censuses of population and housing are made publicly accessible 72 years after each decennial census' "Census Day." The most recent publicly available census records are from the 1950 census, released April 2, 2022. The records from the 1960 Census of Population and Housing will be released in April 2032.
What Information Can I Find in Census Records?
According to the National Archives of the United States [source], in the available years of (1850-1950), a range of individual demographic information in the Decennial Census can include*:
*Not all of this information is available in every census. Before the 1850 Census, few of these details were recorded. From 1790 to 1840, only the head of household is listed by name; other household members are merely counted in selected age groups. Census data also is prone to have missing entries.
Search Records by Year Using the Links below:
Where can I find the Information on Enumeration Districts?
1920 Census Enumeration District Maps - Wisconsin(WI)
Milwaukee County - Milwaukee (1920) from the National Archives Digital Collections
According to the National Archives of the United States [source], the Census Bureau annotated the maps with red, orange, yellow, and green pencil to show enumeration district and various political boundaries. Enumeration District numbers were usually written in orange pencil (see the picture above). Enumeration District numbers had two parts, such as 48-69, where 48 prefix was typically for the county and 69 suffix was for the specific area within the county. Independent cities and very large cities (such as Chicago) had their own prefixes instead of using the county prefix (e.g., wards in Milwaukee city).