The United States census of 1940, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 122,775,046 people. The census date of record was April 1, 1940. A number of new questions were asked including where people were five 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. This was the first census in which every state (48) had a population greater than 100,000.

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

Following completion of the census, the original enumeration sheets were microfilmed; after which the original sheets were destroyed. As required by Title 13 of the U.S. Code, access to

personally identifiable information Personal data, also known as personal information or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information related to an identifiable person. The abbreviation PII is widely accepted in the United States, but the phrase it abbreviates ha ...

from census records was restricted for 72 years. Non-personally identifiable information Microdata from the 1940 census is freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Also, aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. On April 2, 2012—72 years after the census was taken—microfilmed images of the 1940 census enumeration sheets were released to the public by the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

. The records are indexed only by enumeration district upon initial release; several organizations are compiling indices, in some cases through

crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

State rankings

City rankings

Use for Japanese American internment

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Census Bureau responded to numerous information requests from US government agencies, including the US Army and the US Secret Service, to facilitate the

internment of Japanese Americans Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. In his report of the operation, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt wrote that "The most important single source of information prior to the evacuation was the 1940 Census of Population."Some Japanese-Americans Wrongfully Imprisoned During WWII Oppose Census Question
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References

External links

Official 1940 census website

1940 Census Records
from the U.S.

1940 Federal Population Census Videos
training videos for enumerators at the U.S. National Archives

from the U.S. Census Bureau * Snow, Michael S. (opinion)

'' CNN''. Monday April 9, 2012.
1941 U.S Census Report
Contains 1940 census results

Hosted at CensusFinder.com. {{Authority control

United States Census, 1940 The United States census of 1940, 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 122,775,046 people. The census date of record wa ...

United States census