1930 US Census 15th United States Census

1930 Census Geography

• 48 States participated in the 1930 census
• Participating territories: Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands

Information requested for the 1930 Census

• Street name
• House number
• Name
• Relationship to head of family
• Is the person's home owned or rented?
• If the home is owned, is it owned free or mortgaged?
• Does this person live on a farm NOW?
• Did this person live on a farm A YEAR AGO?
• Sex, Color or Race, Age
• Is the person single, married, divorced, or widowed?
• Has the person attended school at any time since Sept. 1, 1929?
• Can the person read and write?
• Person's place of birth
• Person's father's place of birth
• Person's mother's place of birth
• Year of immigration into the United States
• Is the person naturalized or an alien?
• Is the person able to speak English?
• Trade, profession, or particular kind of work done?
• Industry or business in which at work
• Is person an Employee (E), wage or salary worker (W), or own account (O)?
• Whether the person is actually at work?
• Record line number for unemployed
• Whether the person is a veteran of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition?
• If yes, which war or expedition
• Number of farm schedule

Census of Unemployment

Enumerators were instructed to fill out the following questionnaire for all gainful workers unemployed on the workday before the census date.

• Date of enumeration
• Sheet number of person's corresponding population schedule entry
• Line number of person's corresponding population schedule entry
• Name
• Does this person usually work at a gainful occupation?
• Does this person usually have a job of any kind?
• If this person has a job...
• How many weeks since he has worked at that job?
• Why was he not at work yesterday (or the last regular workday)?
• How many days did he work last week?
• How many days does he work in a full-time week?
• If this person has no job of any kind...
• Is he able to work?
• Is he looking for a job?
• For how many weeks has he been without a job?
• Reason for being out of a job

Indian Population

• Sheet number of person's corresponding population schedule entry
• Line number of person's corresponding population schedule entry
• Name, Sex, Age
• Is the person of full American Indian or mixed lineage?
• Tribe
• Person's Post Office address
• Agency where the person is enrolled

1930 Census Quick Facts

• It took $40,156,000, approximately 87,756 enumerators and 35,700 published reports to complete the 1930 census
• The US population increased by 13.7 percent from the 1920 census to the 1930 census.

Historical Events Surrounding 1930 Census

• March 1, 1936: The Hoover Dam is completed two years ahead of schedule
• In 1930, Richard Drew invents “Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape” known today as Scotch Tape
• Superman is introduced in comics in June of 1938
• March 3, 1931: Herbert Hoover signs an act officially declaring The Star Spangled Banner as the US national anthem
• In 1933, the 21st amendment to the constitution is ratified ending the prohibition of alcohol
• Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany in 1933
• May 27, 1937: The Golden Gate Bridge opens in San Francisco, California
• October 30, 1938: The radio broadcast “The War of the Worlds,” a realistic sounding descriptions of Martians attacking the United States, causing widespread panic