United States Census 1960

Background
Census day was Friday, 1 April, 1960. The 1960 census was the first to combine questions on population and housing on a single form. Census questionnaires were mailed to households in urban areas to complete themselves and were delivered to an enumerator. Households in rural areas were enumerated during a visit of a census enumerator.

The instructions on the form for who was to be included on the household form were as follows: Please List: Please Be Sure to List: Also List - Persons who usually live here but who are away temporarily on business, on vacation, or in a general hospital. Do Not List - They will be counted there.
 * 1) Everyone who usually lives here, whether related to you or not.
 * 2) All persons staying here who have no other home.
 * All members of your family living with you, including babies.
 * All other relatives living here.
 * Lodgers and boarders living here.
 * Servants, hired hands, others not related to you who are living here.
 * Any one else staying here but who has no other home.
 * College students who are away at college (or who are here only on vacation).
 * Persons stationed away from here in the Armed Forces.
 * Persons away in institutions, such as a sanitarium, nursing home, home for the aged, mental hospital.

Release
According to law, the census is scheduled for public release on Thursday, 1 April 2032.

Forms
The form had two sections, population and housing. Questions regarding population were identified on the form with the letter "P" and a sequential number beginning with 2. Questions regarding housing were identified on the form with the letter "H". The main census form (the standard, or long form, designated form 60PH-17) was sixteen pages long and contained the following sections: The census short form asked five questions: relationship to head of household, age, sex, race, and marital status. Households in cities with populations over 50,000 were sent forms identified as PH-4. Persons living in areas with fewer persons were sent form PH-3.
 * 1) A list of all persons in the household (page 1)
 * 2) Questions on housing (pages 2-3)
 * 3) Questions for the head of household (pages 4-5)
 * 4) Questions for all other persons listed on page 1 (pages 6-7 for the second person, page 8-9 for the third person, etc.)

Population Questions, Page 1
The first page of the form asked for the following information: Names were to be written in this order:
 * 1) Names of Persons Living Here on April 1, 1960, and those staying here who have no other home.
 * Head of household on first line
 * Wife of head
 * Unmarried children, oldest first
 * Married children and their families
 * Other relatives
 * Others not related to head of household
 * 1) What is the relationship of each person to the head of this household?
 * 2) Male (M) or Female (F)
 * 3) Is this person - White | Negro | American Indian | Japanese | Chinese | Filipino | Hawaiian | Part Hawaiian | Aleut | Eskimo | (etc.)?
 * 4) When was this person born? Month | Year
 * 5) Is this person - Married | Widowed | Divorced | Separated | Single (never married)? (Leave blank for children born after March 31, 1946)

Housing Questions

 * 1) and 18. Is this house: On a city lot (or is this an apartment building)? OR On a place of less than 10 acres? Last year (1959), did sales of crops, livestock, and other farm products from this place amount to $250 or more? | Less than $250 or none OR On a place of 10 or more acres? Last year (1959), did sales of crops, livestock, and other farm products from this place amount to $50 or more? | Less than $50 or none
 * 2) How many bedrooms are in your house or apartment? No bedroom | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms or more
 * 3) About when was this house originally built? In 1959 or 1960 | 1955 to 1958 | 1950 to 1954 | 1940 to 1949 | 1930 to 1939 | 1929 or earlier
 * 4) How is your house or apartment heated? Steam or hot water | Warm air furnace with individual room registers | Floor, wall, or pipeless furnace | Built-in electric units | Room heater(s) connected to chimney or flue | Room heater(s) not connected to chimney or flue | Other method | Not heated
 * 5) Here is a list of fuels. In the first column, check which one is used most for heating. In the second column, check the one used most for cooking. In the third column, check the fuel used most for heating water.
 * Coal or coke: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Wood: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Utility gas from underground pipes serving the neighborhood: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Bottled, tank, or LP gas: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Electricity: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * Other fuel: House heating | Cooking | Water heating
 * No fuel used


 * 1) Do you have a clothes washing machine? Machine with wringer or separate spinner | Automatic or semi-automatic machine | Washer-dryer combination (single unit) | No washing machine
 * 2) Do you have an electric or gas clothes dryer? Electrically heated dryer | Gas heated dryer | No dryer
 * 3) Do you have any television sets? 1 set | 2 sets or more | No television sets
 * 4) Do you have any radios? 1 radio | 2 radios or more | No radios
 * 5) Do you have any air conditioning? Room unit - 1 only | Room units - 2 or more | Central air conditioning system | No air conditioning
 * 6) Do you have a home food freezer which is separate from your refrigerator? Yes\No
 * 7) There was no question 29 on the form
 * 8) How many bathrooms are in your house or apartment? No bathroom, or only a partial bathroom | 1 complete bathroom | 1 complete bathroom, plus partial bathroom(s) | 2 or more complete bathrooms
 * 9) Do you get water from: a public system (or private company)? | an individual well? | some other source?
 * 10) Is this house connected to a public sewer? Yes, connected to a public sewer | No, has septic tank or cesspool | No, has other means of sewage of disposal
 * 11) Is this house built: with a basement? | on a concrete slab? | in another way?
 * 12) Does this building have: 3 stories or less? | 4 stories or more - with elevator? \ walk-up
 * 13) Is there a telephone on which people who live here can be called? Yes - What is the telephone number? \ No
 * 14) How many passenger automobiles are owned or regularly used by people who live here? No automobile | 1 automobile | 2 automobiles | 3 automobiles or more
 * 15) If you live in a trailer, is it: mobile (on wheels, or can easily be put on wheels)? | on a permanent foundation?
 * 16) This question filled in by enumerator: How many months has this unit been vacant? Up to 1 month | 1 up to 2 | 2 up to 4 | 4 up to 6 | 6 or more
 * 17) This question filled in by enumerator: Description of property 1 unit, no business | 1 unit, with business | 2 or more units
 * 18) IF YOU OWN OR ARE BUYING THIS HOME: About how much do you think this property would sell for on today's market? Do not answer if your home is on a place of 10 or more acres. Less than $5,000 | $5,000 to $7,400 | $7,500 to $9,900 | $10,000 to $12,400 | $12,500 to $14,900 | $15,000 to $17,400 | $17,500 to $19,900 | $20,000 to $24,400 | $25,000 to $34,900 | $35,000 or more
 * 19) If you pay your rent by the month - What is your monthly rent? OR If you pay rent by the week or some other period of time - What is your rent and what period does it cover? Nearest dollar per week, year, etc.
 * 20) Does you rent include any land used for farming (or ranching)? Yes \ No
 * 21) and 44. In addition to rent, do you also pay for: Electricity? Yes > what is the average monthly cost \ No | Gas? Yes > what is the average monthly cost \ No | Water?  Yes > what is the average monthly cost \ No
 * 22) and 46. In addition to rent, do you also pay for oil, coal, kerosene, or wood? Yes > About how much do you pay for such fuel per year? \ No

Population Questions, Pages 4-15
Questions 8 through 35 were asked of each person in the household.
 * 1) Where was this person born?
 * 2) If this person was born outside the U.S. &mdash; What language was spoken in his home before he came to the United States?
 * 3) What country was his father born in? United States or Name of foreign country; or Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.
 * 4) What country was his mother born in? United States or Name of foreign country; or Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.
 * 5) When did this person move into this house (or apartment)? In 1959 or 1960 | In 1958 | In 1957 | April 1955 to Dec. 1956 |Jan. 1954 to March 1955 | 1950 to 1953 | 1940 to 1949 | Always lived here
 * 6) Did he live in this house on April 1, 1955? 1. Born April 1955 or later | 2. Yes, this house | 3. No, different house Where did he live on April 1, 1955? a. City or town | b. If city or town - Did he live inside the city limits? Yes\No | c. County AND State, foreign country, U.S. possession, etc.
 * 7) What is the highest grade (or year) of regular school this person has ever attended? Never attended school | Kindergarten | Elementary school (Grade) | High school (Year) | College (Year)
 * 8) Did he finish the highest grade (or year) he attended? Finished this grade | Did not finish this grade | Never attended school
 * 9) Has he attended regular school or college at any time since February 1, 1960?
 * 10) (If yeas)Is it a public school or a private school
 * 11) If this person has ever been married - Has this person been married more than once? Once | More than once
 * 12) (If once) When did he get married? Month\Year | (If more than once) When did he get married for the first time? Month\Year
 * 13) If this is a woman who has ever been married - How many babies has she ever had, not counting stillbirths? Number OR None
 * 14) When was this person born? Born before April 1946 - Please go on with questions P22 to P35 | Born April 1946 or later - Please omit questions P22 to P35
 * 15) Did this person work at any time last week? Yes\No
 * 16) How many hours did he work last week (at all jobs)? 1 to 14 hours | 15 to 29 hours | 30 to 34 hours | 35 to 39 hours |40 hours | 41 to 48 hours | 49 to 59 hours | 60 hours or more
 * 17) Was this person looking for work, or on layoff from a job? Yes\No
 * 18) Does he have a job or business from which he was temporarily absent all last week because of illness, vacations, or other reasons? Yes\No
 * 19) When did he last work at all, even for a few days? Working now | In 1960 | In 1959 | 1955 to 1958 | 1950 to 1954 | 1949 or earlier | Never worked
 * 20) Occupation
 * 21) This person last worked in 1949 or earlier | This person has never worked OR
 * 22) On active duty in the Armed Forces now OR
 * 23) Worked in 1950 or later
 * a. For whom did he work?
 * b. What kind of business or industry was this?
 * c. Is this primarily: Manufacturing | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | Other (services, agriculture, government, construction, etc.).
 * d. What kind of work was he doing?
 * e. Was this person: Employee of private company, business, or individual, for wages, salary, or commissions | Government employee (Federal, State, county, or local) | Self-employed in own business, professional practice, or farm | Working without pay in a family business or farm


 * 1) What city and county did he work in last week?
 * 2) How did he get to work last week?
 * 3) Last year (1959), did this person work at all, even for a few days?
 * 4) How many weeks did he work in 1959, either full-time or part-time? Count paid vacation, paid sick leave, and military service as weeks worked.
 * 5) How much did this person earn in 1959 in wages, salary, commissions, or tips from all jobs?
 * 6) How much did he earn in 1959 in profits or fees from working in his own business, professional practice, partnership, or farm?
 * 7) Last year (1959), did this person receive any income from: Social security, Pensions, Veteran's payments, Rent (minus expenses), Interest or dividends, Unemployment insurance, Welfare payments, Any other source not already entered Yes\No What is the amount he received from these sources in 1959?
 * 8) If this is a man &mdash; Has he ever served in the Army, Navy, or other Armed Forces of the United States? Yes\No
 * Was it during: Korean War (June 1950 to Jan. 1955) Yes\No World War II (Sept. 1940 to July 1947) Yes\No World War I (April 1917 to Nov. 1918) Yes\No Any other time, including present service Yes\No

United States Census Bureau
The Census Bureau has published several reports based on data collected by the census.
 * 1960 Census of Population, Final Population Counts for States
 * Decennial Census Official Publications - 1960

Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
IPUMS provides access to over sixty integrated, high-precision samples of the American population drawn from sixteen federal censuses, from the American Community Surveys of 2000-present, and from the Puerto Rican Community Surveys of 2005-present.
 * 1960 Enumeration Form, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
 * IPUMS (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series): 1960 census questions

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * United States. Bureau of the Census. Census of population: 1960 : the eighteenth decennial census of the United States. Washington, D.C. : s.n., 1961 FHL Book 973 X2u 1960 v.1
 * Rainier (Washington). City Clerk. Washington, Thurston County, Rainier, census records, 1953-1982.

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Minnesota, Clay County, School Census Records, 1909-1962

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * U.S. Census of Population: 1960, Final Report - Texas