The Federal Government did not provide blank printed forms to the U.S. Marshals.  Uniform printed forms were used only if supplied by the U.S. Marshal at his own expense to his assistants.  Otherwise, the assistant marshals used whatever paper was available and recorded the information by hand in the format required by Congress shown below. In addition, there may be annotations such as certificates of oaths taken and population totals.  Later annotations include handwritten and mechanically-stamped page numbers.

Congress required the format shown below for the 1820 census returns:

The law required "That every person whose usual place of abode shall be in any family, on [August 7, 1820], shall be returned as of such family; and the name of every person, who shall be an inhabitant of any district or territory, without a settled place of residence, shall be inserted in the column of the schedule which is allotted for the heads of families in the division where he or she shall be on [August 7, 1820]; and every person occasionally absent at the time of the enumeration, as belonging to that place in which he usually resides in the United States."

Secretary of State John Quincy Adams had general supervision of census operations and tabulating and reporting the results to the President and Congress.

The U.S. Marshal for each Federal judicial district was responsible for taking the census in his district with the help of assistant marshals whom he appointed. Each took an oath or affirmation that "I will well and truly cause to be made, a just and perfect enumeration and description of all persons resident within my district or territory, ... and return the same to the Secretary of State, agreeably to the directions of an act of Congress, entitled, 'An act to provide for taking the fourth census or enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States, and for other purposes,' according to the best of my ability."  For unknown reasons, Congress decided it was necessary to specify that "... the said enumeration shall be made by an actual inquiry at every dwelling-house, or of the head of every family, and not otherwise."

Every person over age 16 was required to cooperate: "That each and every person more than sixteen years of age, whether heads of families or not ... shall be, and hereby is, obligated to render to the assistant [marshal] ... if, required, a true account, to the best of his or her knowledge, of every person belonging to such family ... on pain of forfeiting twenty dollars...."

The census began on Monday, August 7, 1820, and was finished within 6 months.

U.S. marshals conducted the 1820 census under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 14, 1820.

• Name of the county, parish, township, town, or city, where the family resides
• Name of head of family
• Number of free white males under 10 years of age
• Number of free white males of 10 and under 16 years of age
• Number of free white males between 16 and 18 years of age
• Number of free white males of 16 and under 26 years of age
• Number of free white males of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of free white males 45 years old and upwards
• Number of free white females under 10 years of age
• Number of free white females of 10 and under 16 years of age
• Number of free white females of 16 and under 26 years of age
• Number of free white females of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of free white females 45 years old and upwards
• Number of foreigners not naturalized

Slaves

• Number of males under 14 years of age
• Number of males of 14 and under 26 years of age
• Number of males of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of males 45 years old and upwards
• Number of females under 14 years of age
• Number of females of 14 and under 26 years of age
• Number of females of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of females 45 years old and upwards

Free Coloured Persons

• Number of males under 14 years of age
• Number of males of 14 and under 26 years of age
• Number of males of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of males 45 years old and upwards
• Number of females under 14 years of age
• Number of females of 14 and under 26 years of age
• Number of females of 26 and under 45 years of age
• Number of females 45 years old and upwards
• Number of all other persons, except Indians not taxed

Number of persons engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures

The 1820 Census Act included the following directions related to collecting economic information:

That it shall be the duty of the several marshals and their assistants, at the time for taking the said census, to take, under the direction of the Secretary of State, and according to such instructions as he shall give, and such forms as he shall prescribe, an account of the several manufacturmg establishments. and their manufactures, within their several districts, territories, and divisions.