Next year, we can expect the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to release the 1950 census population schedules for researcher use on April 1, 2022. Decennial census data becomes publicly available every 72 years after it was taken. However, it will take some time for organizations to index the entire census, as well as for the CHamoru Roots Genealogy Project to index the entire census for Guam.
Unfortunately, even though the Northern Mariana Islands were administered by the U.S. after World War II under the United Nations’ Trusteeship on July 18, 1947, their 1950 population census was conducted by the U.S. Navy.[1] They were not included in the U.S. census until 1970. If anyone knows where one can obtain a copy of the Navy’s 1950 census of the Northern Mariana Islands, please let us know.
The outcome of World War II and the reoccupation of the U.S. on Guam revealed a major shift in the 1950 census population demographics. The CHamoru people on Guam became the minority on their native lands.[2] The “CH %” column in the table below represents the rounded percentage of total “Chamorro” people compared to the “Total” (Total, Female, Male) population column. The “CH. Only” column represents the percentage of Female/Male “Chamorro” column compared to “Total” (Female or Male) column for “Chamorro” people only.
[1] https://www.census.gov/history/www/programs/geography/island_areas.html
[2] https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1953/dec/population-vol-02.html
