Prior to the passage of the census act authorizing the fifth census in 1830, President Adams, in his fourth address to the U.S. Congress on December 28, 1828, suggested the census commence earlier in the year than August 1. He also proposed that the collection of age data should be extended from infancy, in intervals of 10 years, to the “utmost boundaries of life”. These changes were incorporated into the census act of March 23, 1830. As in the previous census, the enumeration was made by an actual inquiry by the marshals or assistants at every dwelling house, or, as the law stated, by “personal” inquiry of the head of every family, and began on June 1 (instead of the first Monday of August as in previous censuses). Because of delays in the compilation of the census returns, the filing date was extended to August 1, 1831.
The 1830 census concerned the population only. No attempt was made to collect additional data on the Nation’s manufactures and industry.
| 1830 Census Information | Online | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Census; or enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States, 1830. To which is prefixed, a schedule of the whole number of persons within the several districts of the United States, taken acording to the acts of 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820...(Dub 19) | N/A | N/A |
| Abstract of the Fifth Census of the United States, 1830 (Dub 20) | N/A | N/A |
| Abstract of the returns of the Fifth Census, showing the number of free people, the number of slaves, the federal or representative number; and the aggregate of each county of each State of the United States. | PDF 4.9 MB |
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau
