A morbidity survey was designed to estimate the prevalence of major neurological disorders in a rural, biracial county in the south-central United States. Methods were standardized and tested, and a complete enumeration (or census) was employed for both the institutionalized and the noninstitutionalized population. People need not have entered the health care system for detection of their disorders. The survey generated age-, sex-, and race-specific prevalence ratios. This report provides information useful for interpreting the survey findings and for planning similar investigations.