1940 United States Census

Sixteenth Census of the United States
U.S. Census Bureau Seal
General Information
Date Taken	April 1, 1940
Total U.S. Population	132,164,569
Percent Change	7.3%
Most Populous State	New York 13,479,142
Least Populous State	Nevada 110,247
Population Schedule

The Sixteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 123,202,624 persons. The census date of record was April 1, 1940. A number of new questions were asked including where people were 5 years before, highest educational grade achieved, and information about wages. This census introduced sampling techniques; one in 20 people were asked additional questions on the census form. Other innovations included a field test of the census in 1939.

Census questions

The 1940 census collected the following information:

• address
• home owned or rented
  • if owned, value
  • if rented, monthly rent
• whether on a farm
• name
• relationship to head of household
• sex
• race
• age
• marital status
• school attendance
• educational attainment
• birthplace
• if foreign born, citizenship
• location of residence five 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, CCC, NYA, etc.)
  • if in private or non-emergency government work, hours worked in week
  • if seeking work or on public emergency work, duration of unemployment
• occupation, industry and class of worker
• weeks worked last year
• wage and salary income last year

In addition, a sample of individuals were asked additional questions covering age at first marriage, fertility, and other topics. Full documentation on the 1940 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Data availability

1940 US Census poster

Microdata from the 1940 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

As required by Title 13 of the U.S. Code, access to personally identifiable information from census records was restricted for 72 years.

On April 2, 2012 images of the 1940 census enumeration sheets were released to the public by the National Archives and Records Administration. The records are indexed only by enumeration district upon initial release; several organizations are compiling indices, in some cases through crowdsourcing.

State rankings

1940 U.S. State Population Rankings

Rank	State	Population
1	New York	13,479,142
2	Pennsylvania	9,900,180
3	Illinois	7,897,241
4	Ohio	6,907,612
5	California	6,907,387
6	Texas	6,414,824
7	Michigan	5,256,106
8	Massachusetts	4,316,721
9	New Jersey	4,160,165
10	Missouri	3,784,664
11	North Carolina	3,571,623
12	Indiana	3,427,796
13	Wisconsin	3,137,587
14	Georgia	3,123,723
15	Tennessee	2,915,841
16	Kentucky	2,845,627
17	Alabama	2,832,961
18	Minnesota	2,792,300
19	Virginia	2,677,773
20	Iowa	2,538,268
21	Louisiana	2,363,880
22	Oklahoma	2,336,434
23	Mississippi	2,183,796
24	West Virginia	1,961,974
25	Arkansas	1,949,387
26	South Carolina	1,899,804
27	Florida	1,897,414
28	Maryland	1,821,244
29	Kansas	1,801,028
30	Washington	1,736,191
31	Connecticut	1,709,242
32	Nebraska	1,315,834
33	Colorado	1,123,296
34	Oregon	1,089,684
35	Maine	847,226
36	Rhode Island	713,346
x	District of Columbia	663,091
37	South Dakota	642,961
38	North Dakota	641,935
39	Montana	559,456
40	Utah	550,310
41	New Mexico	531,818
42	Idaho	524,873
43	Arizona	499,261
44	New Hampshire	491,524
45	Vermont	359,231
46	Delaware	266,505
47	Wyoming	250,742
48	Nevada	110,247

External links

• Official 1940 census website
• 1940 Census Records from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
• 1940 Federal Population Census Videos, training videos for enumerators at the U.S. National Archives
• Selected Historical Decennial Census Population and Housing Counts from the U.S. Census Bureau
• Snow, Michael S. (opinion) "Why the huge interest in the 1940 Census?" CNN. Monday April 9, 2012.