United States Census 1930

Additional information may be found on the United States Census Portal page.

Content
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 &amp; 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

1790-2000 Information: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf

Value
The 1930 census can be used to:1

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/genealogy/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, Canal zone, Guam &amp; Virgin Islands did not use this system.

States Covered and Missing

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

No States Missing

Territories

 * Alaska
 * Hawaii

Web Sites
Finding a Person in the 1930 Census (Even without an Index) FamilySearchWiki article

1790-2000 Info: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf

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

Bibliographic Citations
1. Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Source: A Guide book to American Genealogy. 3rd ed. (Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006.)