We have received several requests from indexers asking when the census records for their state will be available and if they can choose a specific county within a state to index. These are good questions. Below is some helpful answers to your questions.
When will my state be available to index?
As of April 12th the census records for 38 states have been posted at indexing.familysearch.org (39 if you count Delaware which is complete.) The best way to know if your state is available to index is to check the FamilySearch 1940 US Census page. Check back often since new states are posted daily. Remember, it may take up to two weeks to make all of the states available for indexing but some states will be completed within a matter of hours after they are released.
Will I be able to index records at the county level?
No. Indexing of census records is available only on the state level. As much as we would like to make it possible for indexers to index their own county records, it is not possible to efficiently post records at the county level.
After a state index is complete, how long does it take before the public can use it?
After a state has been completely indexed, it takes about a week for processing and formatting before a state census index is ready to post online. If there are problems, it could take a few additional days. As soon as a state is ready to post, it will be posted on FamilySearch.org and will be available free of charge to the general public.
Thank you for your involvement in this monumental project! We couldn’t do this without your help.
