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Research Guides

U.S. Decennial Census: 1940

Decade by decade information about how to access and use U.S. Census reports.

Census By Decade

1790  1800  1810  1820  1830  1840  1850  1860  1870  1880  1890  1900

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About the 1940 census

Highlights

  • 16th decennial census
  • US population: 131,669,275
  • Washington population: 1,736,191
  • New focus on labor and economic issues
  • The Census of Housing was the first nationwide detailed inventory of housing
  • First census to use sampling

Questions asked

  • Information obtained from all persons:
    • Address
    • Home owned or rented
    • Value of monthly rental
    • Whether on a farm
    • Name
    • Relationship to head of household
    • Sex
    • Race
    • Age
    • Marital status
    • School or college attendance
    • Educational attainment
    • Place of birth
    • Citizenship of foreign born
    • County
    • State and town or village of residence 5 years ago and whether on a farm
    • Employment status
    • If at work, whether in private or non-emergency government work, or in public emergency work (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc.)
    • If in private or non-emergency government work, number of hours worked during week of March 24-30
    • If seeking work or on public emergency work, duration of employment
    • Occupation, industry, and class of worker
    • Number of weeks worked last year
    • Wage or salary income last year and whether received other income of $50 or more
  • Information from 5-percent sample:
    • Place of birth of parents
    • language spoken in home in earliest childhood
    • Veteran status
    • Which war or period of service
    • Whether wife or widow of veteran
    • Whether a child under 18 of a veteran, and if so, whether father is living
    • Whether has Social Security number, and if so, whether deductions were made from all part of wages or salary
    • Occupation, industry, and class of worker
    • Of women ever married - whether married more than once, age at first marriage, and number of children ever born
  • Supplemental schedule for infants born during the four months preceding the census

Population Schedules

Census population schedules (or "name schedules" or "manuscript census") are copies of the original questionnaires collected during each decennial census. They list the individual names and family information of the people enumerated. Unlike the statistics published soon after the census, the population schedules remain confidential for 72 years. 1950 is the most recent population schedule available.

Statistics

More Information from the US Census Bureau

Census Compilations

Data Sources

Contact

Need help? Call the Government Publications, Maps, Microforms & Newspapers help desk at (206) 543-4164 during desk hours. You can also consult the 24/7 Ask Us! reference service.