When a census was/is taken, how did they account for the people on ships?

As far as our military, they probably maintain residence in a state or DC even if they are on a ship with no actual domocile in that state. They vote from that state and are counted in that state. The reason I assume this is because military can move state to state and maintain voting rights, still have their driver’s license, and license plates in a different state, everything can be kept in whatever state they decide if they have lived there. I assume it is the same if they are on a ship somwhere. Blackberry will know for sure, I’ll send this to him.

When my husband was deployed in 2010 (during the census) we were told not to include him in our census count at home and that they count the military members that are away from home separately. I imagine they would do the same thing for the sailors on the ships. I believe it was something they did through the military units.

People at sea when the census count is taken aren’t present. So, unless they get enumerated at their US domicile, they don’t count.

If we’re actually deployed, we don’t get them. If you have a family at home they will fill it out, but I don’t know how it works for single people. I never received one.

@Seaofclouds @Blackberry Interesting. So my guess was wrong.

I was actually thinking more of the merchant marine or full time mariner. One who spends most of his time at sea. I know that if you are taking a census it is at a given point in time and what they want to know is who is living where at this given time.
So, if you are at sea, on a vessel registered in the United States, lets say, they do not care?

It could have been an isolated incident, I’ll ask some people at work when I go back. It can’t be hard to send some forms out to a ship. We get mail, and although it takes awhile depending on where you are, we sometimes got it at regular intervals.

The UK census counts people resident in a household on a particular day. You can include people who are presently working away from home, and I guess being aboard a ship would come into that category. Even someone who works at sea for the majority of the time, has to have a legal on-land address.