A Look at the 1940 Census

1

For Reference by C-SPAN (not display)

Major Innovations of the 1940

Census First census to:

– include a question on wages and income (under the heading on “income”)

– to ask extra questions of a 5 percent sample of the population. (two people on each page)

– designate a special day for counting transients (T-Night) April 8-9

– include a coverage and content research program following the census

– include a census of housing.

2

For Reference only

Census Sample Survey • Procedures designed by W.

Edwards Deming and Morris

Hansen

• Asked most frequently of people

falling on lines 14 and 29

• Supplementary questions included

– Parents’ place of birth

– Veterans status

– If person had a Social Security card

– Usual occupation and industry

– Age at first marriage

– Number of children ever born

• The implications for 2012

– Many new questions on some people

– Parents’ place of birth had been

available on everyone from the 1930

census

To reconcile exploding demand for new

questions with a public balking at

answering and technology straining to

make that many tabulations:

3

U.S. Population in Millions:1940 to 2050

Census Projections

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 to 2010 Decennial Censuses; 2008 National Population Projections 4

5

6

7

8

Population Distribution by Race: 1940-2010

2.4 2.9 3.0 3.9 5.5 6.2

1.5 2.9 3.8 5.0

9.8 10.0 10.5 11.1 11.7

12.1 12.3

12.6

89.8 89.5 88.6 87.5 83.0 80.3 75.1 72.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000* 2010*

White

Black or AfricanAmerican

American Indianand Alaska Native

Asian and NativeHawaiian and OtherPacific Islander

Some Other Race

Two or More Races

*Data are shown for the White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race alone populations.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1940 to 2010. 9

Population Distribution by Hispanic Origin: 1970-2010

4.5 6.4 9.0 12.5 16.3

95.5 93.6 91.0 87.5 83.7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Not Hispanicor Latino

Hispanic orLatino

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 (5-percent

sample), 1980 to 2010. 10

Percent Minority: 1970-2042

16.5 20.4

24.4

30.9

36.3 39.9

44.5

49.2 50.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020* 2030* 2040* 2042*

Population Projections

*Projected population as of July 1. Note: “Minority” refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than non-Hispanic White alone in the decennial census. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 (5-percent sample), 1980 to 2010, 2008 Population Projections, 2020-2042.

Decennial Census

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Age Distribution: 1940 and 2010

30.6

24.0

42.8

36.5

19.8

26.4

6.8

13.0

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

1940

2010

Percentage

Under 18

18-44

45-64

65+

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census and 2010 Census. 12

Median Age: 1940-2050

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Total 29.0 30.2 29.5 28.1 30.0 32.9 35.3 37.2 37.7 38.7 38.9 39.0

Male 29.1 29.9 28.7 26.8 28.8 31.7 34.0 35.8 36.5 37.5 37.7 37.8

Female 29.0 30.5 30.3 29.3 31.2 34.1 36.5 38.5 38.9 39.9 40.2 40.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

Me

dia

n A

ge

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1940 to 2010

U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2050 Projections of the Population by Age and Sex

(NP2008-T12) 13

14

Average Household Size: 1940 and 2010

3.7

2.6

0

1

2

3

4

1940 2010

Nu

mb

er

of

pe

op

le

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 and 2010 Censuses.

Percent of Households that are Family

Households: 1940 and 2010

90

66

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1940 2010

Pe

rce

nt

Source: U.S, Census Bureau, 1940 and 2010 Censuses.

15

Percent of Family Households with Female

Householder, no Husband Present: 1940 and 2010

11

20

0

5

10

15

20

25

1940 2010

Pe

rce

nt

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 and 2010 Censuses. 16

Percent of Households with One

Person: 1940 and 2010

8

27

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1940 2010

Source: U.S, Census Bureau, Decennial Census

17

18

Marital Status, Males 15 Years

and Over: 1940 and 2010

33 35

61

52

1

10

4 3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1940 2010

Never married

Married

Divorced

Widowed

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census, and 2010 American Community Survey.

19

Marital Status, Females 15 Years

and Over: 1940 and 2010

26 29

61

50

2

12 12 9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1940 2010

Never married

Married

Divorced

Widowed

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census and 2010 American Community Survey.

Percent of Population 25 Years & Over Who Completed

High School; Percentage Who Completed a Bachelor’s

Degree: 1940, 1970, and 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau,1940 and 1970 Censuses, and the 2010

American Community Survey

24

5

52

11

86

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Completed high school or more Bachelor's degree or more

Perc

en

t

1940

1970

2010

20

Percent of People 16 Years and Over

in the Labor Force, by Sex: 1940 and 2010

55

83

27

64 70

59

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Total Men Women

Perc

en

t

1940

2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau,1940 and 1970 Censuses, and the 2010 American

Community Survey 21

Percent of Employed People

in Selected Industries: 1940 and 2010

21 23

17 19

2

10

14

48

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Agriculture,forestry, fishing,

mining

Manufacturing Wholesale andretail trade

Services

Perc

en

t

1940

2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census and 2010 American Community Survey

22

Percent Distribution of Employed People by

Class of Worker: 1940 and 2010

63

8

20

3 5

78

15

6

0.1 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Private Government Self employed Unpaid familyworkers

On publicemergency

work

Perc

en

t

1940

2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census and 2010 American Community Survey 23

Female to Male Wage and Salary Ratio: 1939

and 2010

0.62

0.73

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

1939 2010

Rati

o

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census and 2011 Current Population Survey

Annual, Social, and Economic Supplement. 24

U.S. Homeownership Rates:

1900 to 2010

47 46 46 48

44

55

62 63 64 64 66 65

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Perc

en

t

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census of Housing. 25

State Homeownership Rates: 1940

Homeownership Rate

not a state

under 50.0

50.0 to 59.9

60.0 or more

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census of Housing 26

State Homeownership Rates: 2010

Homeownership Rate

not a state

under 50.0

50.0 to 59.9

60.0 or more

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census of Housing 27

U.S. Median Gross Rent:1940 and 2010 (in current dollars)

$27 (1940 dollars)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1940 2010

Do

llars

per

mo

nth

$855 (2010 dollars)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1940 Census of Housing and 2010 American

Community Survey 28

http://1940census.archives.gov

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1940 Census Questions

• Where did you live on April 1, 1935

• What were your wages or salary for 1939

• What was your highest level of education

• Supplemental schedule

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31

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Finding Someone on the Census

• There is no name index yet

• Enumeration district maps

• Enumeration district descriptions

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