Before the setting up of Civil Registration in 1837 census returns were just a headcount, and no information on individuals was recorded. After 1837 census information was collected in units of Civil Parishes. The area of the current Whitby Town Council and the previous Whitby Urban District was comprised of three Civil Parishes before they were merged into one in 1925. Consequently, Census returns for Whitby are enumerated in three or four seperate parish returns.

Whitby Parish encompassed each side of the river, Ruswarp Parish stretched westwards from Silver Street and south from Victoria Square, and Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre Parish covered the East Cliff and Spital Bridge as well as Stainsacre and Hawsker. After 1894 the part of Hawsker within Whitby Urban District seperated off as Helredale Parish. In 1925 all three Whitby parishes were merged into Whitby Urban District, and in 1932 another small part of Hawsker was added to form the modern Whitby Town Council area.

Consequently, Whitby census returns are enumerated in three or four seperate parish returns, Whitby, Ruswarp, Hawsker (later Helredale) and Aislaby.

Census Transcripts	Parishes included
	Whitby	Ruswarp	Helredale	Hawsker	Aislaby	TOTAL
Census1801						10,974
Census1811						10,275
Census1821						12,584
Census1831						11,725
Census1841						11,682
Census1851						12,875
Census1861	8,125	3,141		590		11,856
Census1871	7,886	4,236		665		12,787
Census1881	8,820	4,839		741		14,400
Census1891	7,501	5,097		816		13,414
Census1901	6,349	5,019	387	79		11,834
Census1911	5,811	4,847	412	125		11,318
Census1921	5,811	6,195	504	79		12,589
Census1931						11,451
Census1941 (1939)						12,698
Census1951						11,674
Census1961						11,675
Census1971						12,237
Census1981						12,980
Census1991						13,632
Census2001						13,594
Census2011						13,570
Census2021						13,129