United States Census 1930

United States   U.S. Census    1930 Census

Indexes and Images
For an article about 1930 censuses scheduled to become available for free online at FamilySearch Historical Record Collections see the U.S. Census Population Schedules, 1930 Wiki page. Ancestry.com (subscription site) has indexes and images of all 1930 federal censuses. HeritageQuestOnline.com (subscription site) has images of all 1930 federal censuses.

For details, see individual state census Wiki pages. For tips if the first census index search does not work, see the United States Census Searching Wiki page.

Twelve southern states have a Soundex index to their census: Alabama (Jefferson, Mobile, and Montgomery counties separate), Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Content
The 1930 Census was taken beginning 1 April 1930, [time frame?] (except Alaska, 1 Oct 1929)

The following information was recorded by the census taker:


 * Age of person
 * Age when record was made
 * Birthplace
 * Birthplace of children
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Birthplace of spouse
 * Employment
 * Head of household
 * Home owned/rented &amp; value
 * Live on a farm
 * Language
 * Literacy—read/write
 * Live on a farm
 * Marital status, age at 1st
 * Name
 * Name of wife
 * Names of children
 * Names of neighbors
 * Occupation and Industry
 * Persons in Household
 * Race or color
 * Radio set?
 * Relationship to head of family
 * Residence
 * Sex
 * Veteran, which war?
 * Year of immigration to U.S.
 * Naturalized or alien
 * Street, avenue or road
 * Number of house
 * Dwelling house in order of visitation
 * Number of family in order of visitation

Value
The 1930 census can be used to:


 * Identify military service - military records
 * Identify date of immigration and naturalization dates
 * If there were previous marriages / marriage dates

1850-1930 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html

Unique Features and Problems

 * 1) Date at top of each page Response to questions as of 1 Apr 1930
 * 2) Omit—children born between 1 Apr and enumeration
 * 3) Include—alive on 1 Apr 1930 but dead at enumeration
 * 4) Lists age at first marriage
 * 5) Lists if individual attended college
 * 6) Lists if the household owned a radio set
 * 7) Lists whether the individual was at work the day before the census was taken
 * 8) Lists if a veteran and which war or expedition
 * 9) Only twelve Southern states have a Soundex index: Alabama (Jefferson, Mobile, and Montgomery counties are separate), Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky (only counties of Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Kenton, Muhlenberg, Perry and Pike), Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia (only counties of Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, and Raleigh). See Finding a Person in the 1930 Census (Even Without An Index).
 * 10) Enumerators instructed to spell out birthplaces for Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Turkey.
 * 11) No Separate Indian schedules. Reservations enumerated in general population schedules. In place of country of birth for father, the degree of Indian blood was listed, and for country of birth of mother, the tribe was listed.
 * 12) Servicemen in duty posts.
 * 13) Enumerations District (ED) numbering altered for 52 of the 56 states/territories. County assigned number based on alpha order. ED followed the county number: i.e. 1-1, 1-23, 5-2, 1-73
 * 14) American Samoa, Guam, Panama Canal Zone, and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not use this system.
 * 15) First census to include seaman on U.S.-flag merchant vessels. 1930 Census of Merchant Seamen, NARA RG 029, M1932 (3 rolls); Alabama to Indiana, Louisiana to New York (EDs 15-34 to 24-950) , New York (EDs 24-972 to 52-55) to Wisconsin, Correspondence, reports and records . Includes name of vessel, owner and address, what port, name of seaman, state or country of birth, occupation, whether a veteran and of what war, and address of next of kin.

States and Territories Covered

 * All states, District of Columbia, and the Territories listed below:


 * Alaska
 * American Samoa
 * Guam
 * Hawaii
 * Panama Canal Zone
 * Puerto Rico
 * U.S. Virgin Islands

Missing Records

 * No States Missing

Where to Find the Records
The 1930 Federal Census is available online.

Online


 * 1930 United States Federal Census (Ancestry) ($)
 * Census - US Federal 1930 (Fold3) ($)
 * (FamilySearch)