By law, information collected in a US census must remain confidential for how many years?

McGruff

Individual responses (not addresses) are released after 72 years. Many genealogy researchers and those tracing family trees find this information very valuable. In Pennsylvania these records are housed at the Pennsylvania State Library. The National Archives also has this information. The most recent decennial data available is 1920. http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/pasdc/census_connection/updates/Decennial/CONFIDEN.HTM Did you know that the law requires each batch of census forms to remain private for 72 years? This is to encourage honesty and accurate information. The rationale behind this law is that little negative impact could happen after 72 years, since most of the people listed would be gone. So, this means that the latest census available to the public is the one taken in 1920. http://people.howstuffworks.com/census3.htm Noodling around myself in Title 13 of the U.S. Code, I've not been able to find anything along these lines. Title 13, Chapter 1, Subchapter I, Sec. 9 http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/13/9.html Mar 21 03, 8:39 AM