Can I use IPUMS-USA for genealogy?
No. The use of the data for genealogy is expressly prohibited in the user license agreement to which all users agree. Users should also be aware of its severe limitations for genealogical purposes. Only the 1850-1880 and 1920 samples contain names of individuals. Moreover, the 1850-1870 and 1920 samples are 1-in-100 samples of the population, meaning there is a 1 percent chance of finding any particular person in the data.
We recommend two web sites which contain programs designed for using census data for genealogy (Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org).