1940 United States census

E800902

The 1940 United States census was the sixteenth national population count, notable for introducing questions on income and education and providing a detailed snapshot of American life just before the country entered World War II.

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Statements (58)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States census
population census
aggregateDataAvailableFrom National Historical Geographic Information System NERFINISHED
archivedBy National Archives and Records Administration NERFINISHED
authorizedBy United States Congress NERFINISHED
censusDate April 1, 1940
collectedDataOn age
class of worker
employment status
highest grade of school completed
home ownership status
household relationship
income in 1939
industry
marital status
occupation
place of birth
race
residence in 1935
sex
value of home or monthly rent
weeks worked in 1939
conductedBy United States Census Bureau NERFINISHED
constitutionalReference Article I, Section 2, United States Constitution NERFINISHED
country United States of America
surface form: United States
dataCollectionMethod enumerator visits to households
dataFormat handwritten schedules
followedBy 1950 United States census NERFINISHED
follows 1930 United States census NERFINISHED
geographicCoverage 50 U.S. states and territories existing in 1940
hasFormType housing schedule
population schedule
historicalContext Great Depression era NERFINISHED
pre–World War II United States
includesTerritory Alaska Territory NERFINISHED
American Samoa NERFINISHED
Guam NERFINISHED
Hawaii Territory NERFINISHED
Panama Canal Zone NERFINISHED
Puerto Rico NERFINISHED
United States Virgin Islands NERFINISHED
introducedQuestionOn education
income
languageOfForm English NERFINISHED
legalBasis United States Constitution NERFINISHED
microdataAvailableFrom Integrated Public Use Microdata Series NERFINISHED
notableFeature first U.S. census to ask detailed questions about income
first U.S. census to systematically record highest grade of school completed
ordinalInSeries 16
populationCount 132,164,569
populationCountRounded 132 million
processingTechnology electromechanical tabulating machines
recordsConfidentialityPeriod 72 years
recordsPublicReleaseDate April 2, 2012
referenceDateDescription snapshot of the United States just before entry into World War II
usedFor allocation of federal funds
apportionment of seats in the United States House of Representatives
redistricting

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

1950 United States census follows 1940 United States census
Census Day hasCensusDay 1940 United States census