Facts about the 1930 CENSUS

 

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By Staff Writer 02 June 2002

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The 1930 census was taken on April 1, 1930. The official census population count was 123,202,624.
Questions Asked in the 1930 Census
The 1930 Census form called for: street, avenue, road, house number, number of dwelling house in order of visitation, number of family in order of visitation; name of each person whose place of abode on April 1, 1930, was in this family; relationship of this person to the head of the family; home owned or rented, value of home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented; radio set; does this family live on a farm? sex; color or race; age at last birthday; marital condition; age at first marriage; attended school or college any time since Sept. 1, 1929; whether able to read or write; place of birth - person, place of birth- father, place of birth- mother; language spoken in home before coming to the United States; year of immigration into the United States; naturalization; whether able to speak English; trade, profession, or particular kind of work done, Industry of business, class of worker; whether actually at work yesterday, If not, line number on unemployment schedule; whether a veterans of U.S. military or naval force-yes or no, what war or expedition; number of farm schedule (Note: The farm schedules have not survived).

Other Significant Facts about the 1930 Census
Ancestry.com has a searchable every-name index to this census. A WPA Soundex exists for the 1930 census for the following states only: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The following counties were Soundexed for Kentucky: Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Kenton, Mehlenberg, Perry, and Pike. The following West Virginia counties were indexed: Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, and Raleigh.

All of the Soundex indexes are in the traditional format, with the exception of Georgia, which is in Miracode. All of the Soundexed states, except for Georgia, list the institutions at the end of the publication. There appear to be no mixed codes for the 1930 census.

Research Tips for the 1930 Census
Since nearly everyone has some knowledge or access to knowledge of family names, relationships, and the family's state of residence in 1930, this census is widely considered to be the best starting point for research in federal records. Working from known information about the most recent generations, an efficient researcher works backwards in time to discover family relationships and to determine where additional records may be found.

To effectively search the 1930 census, know as much about where the person lived as is possible. The following finding aids will be available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and at NARA's regional records services facilities

• • > Enumeration District Maps for the Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1930), 35 rolls.
• > Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1931), 11 rolls.
• Descriptions of Census Enumeration Districts, 1830-1950. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T1224), rolls 61-90.
  Note: To complement its collection of 1930 resources, the National Archives has also purchased copies of city directories for 1928-1932. For a complete list of which directories NARA has, see the 1930 website. These are not National Archives publications, but can be purchased from Primary Source Microfilm (an imporint of the Gale Group). For ordering information call 1-800-444-0799.