WASHINGTON, April 30, 2021 â With less than a year to go before the release of the 1950 census, National Archives staff are working to ensure researchers around the world can access the records as planned on April 1, 2022. The Constitution requires that a census be taken every decade, and the results remain closed and sealed until 72 years later, when the National Archives releases them to the public. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and employees who were suddenly working remotely, preparations for next yearâs release of the 1950 census continue, and the timeline remains unchanged. Part of the reason is that preparation for census releases begins many years in advance. As genealogists were digging into the 1940 census release in April 2012, archival staff were beginning to work on the 1950 census.