In the United States, censuses are released to the public 72 years after they’re taken.
See our census guide for census-searching tips and facts or download a blank 1940 Census form to see the categories without information filled in.
Searching the census
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- Click the Search tab.
- Select Card Catalog.
- From the Sort by menu in the top-right corner, select Collection Title.
- In the Keyword(s) field, type 1940.
- Click 1940 United States Federal Census.
- Enter information and click Search.
1940 census background
The 1940 census count began on April 1, 1940 and lasted one month. Census planners divided the country into enumeration districts, geographic areas designed to allow a census taker to visit every house in the district within two weeks (or a month, for rural areas). They counted everyone who was alive at 12:01 am on April 1, 1940. Babies born later that day were not counted. Census enumerators wrote "Ab" after names of people who belonged to the household but were absent on April 1. Visitors were to be counted as members of the household at their normal place of residence, as were students, patients at hospitals and sanitariums who had a permanent home, and servants and household employees who did not sleep on the premises.
The census included the continental 48 states and the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The total number of people counted was 132,164,569. An estimated 87 percent of Americans today can connect with at least one relative in the 1940 United States Federal Census.
Facts collected by the census
Everyone who participated in the 1940 census was asked for these facts:
- Name of each person at residence
- Relationship of each person to head of household
- State, county, township, enumeration district
- Sheet #
- Street and house number
- Household #
- Relationship, marital status
- Citizenship status
- Residence in 1935
- Whether or not on farm
- Occupation & industry
- Place of birth
- Citizenship
- Year of immigration into the U.S.
- Naturalization
- Ability to speak English
- Race
- Sex
- Marital status (single, married, widowed, or divorced)
- Age at first marriage
- Age at last birthday
- Institution
- Ward
- Home owned or rented
- Value of home
- Attended school and highest grade completed
- Employment status
- # of hours worked, # weeks worked in 1939, annual wages, and other income
Five percent of people in the 1940 Census were asked supplemental questions:
- Parents' places of birth
- Language spoken
- Veteran status
- Military service
- Occupation, industry, class of worker
- Women – married before, age at first marriage, number of children born