1940 census form, column HEADINGS
Column# Heading
1-2 Location
1 Street, avenue, road, etc.
2 House number (if cities and towns)
3-6 Household data
3 Number of household in order of visitation
4 Home owned (O) or rented (R)
5 Value of Home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented.
6 Does this household live on a farm? (Yes or No)
7 NAME - Name of each person whose usual place of residence on April 1, 1940, was in this household. Be sure to include: 1. Persons temporarily absent from household. Write “Ab” after names of such persons. 2. Children under 1 year of age. Write “Infant” if child has not been given a first name. Enter “X” after name of person furnishing information.
8 Relation - Relationship of this person to the head of the household, as wife, daughter, father, mother-in-law, grandson, lodger, lodger’s wife, servant, hired hand, etc.
Code A – leave blank
9-12 Personal Description
9 Sex – Male (M), Female (F).
10 Color or race
11 Age at last birthday.
12 Marital Status
13-14 Education
13 Attended school or college any time since March 1, 1940? (Yes or No.)
14 Highest grade of school completed.
Code E – Leave blank
15 Place of Birth - If born in the United States, give State, Territory or possession. If foreign born, give country in which birthplace was situated on January 1, 1937. Distinguish Canada-French from Canada-English and Irish Free State (Eire) from Northern Ireland.
Code C – Leave blank
16 Citizenship – Citizenship of the foreign born.
17 – 20 Residence, April 1, 1935 – In what place did this person live on April 1, 1935? For a person who on April 1, 1935, was living in the same house as at present, enter in Col. 17 “Same house,” and for one living in a different house but in the same city Or town, enter “Same place,” leaving Cols. 18, 19 and 20 blank in both instances. For a person who lived in a different place, enter city or town, county, or state, as directed in instructions. (Enter an actual place of residence, which may differ from Mail address.)
17 Residence – city, town, or village having 2,500 or more inhabitants. Enter “R” for all other places.
18 Residence – county.
19 Residence – State (or Territory or foreign country)
20 On a farm? (Yes or No)
Code D – Leave blank
21 Was this person At Work for pay or profit in private or non-emergency Govt. work during the week of March 24-30? (Yes or No.)
22 If not, was he at work on, or assigned to, public Emergency work (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc.) during the week of March 24-30? (Yes or No.)
23 If neither at work nor assigned to public emergency work (“No” in Cols 21 and 22.) – Was this person Seeking Work? (Yes or No.)
24 If neither at work nor assigned to public emergency work (“No” in Cols 21 and 22.) – If not seeking work, did he have a Job, business, etc.? (Yes or No.)
25 For persons answering “No” to quest. 21, 22, 23, and 24. – Indicate whether engaged in home housework (H) in school (S) unable to work (U) or other (O).
Code E
26 If private or nonemergency Government work (“Yes” in Col. 21) – Number of hours worked during week of March 24-30, 1940 in weeks.
27 If seeking work or assigned to public emergency work. (“Yes” in Col. 22 or 23.) – Duration of unemployment up to March 30, 1940 – in weeks.
28-30 Occupation, Industry, and Class of Worker. For a person at work, assigned to public emergency work, or with a job (“Yes” in Col. 21, 22, or 24), enter present occupation, industry and class of worker. For a person seeking work (“Yes” in Col 23): (a) If he has previous work experience, enter last occupation, industry and class of worker; or (b) if he does not have previous work experience, enter “New worker” in Col. 28, and leave Cols 29 and 30 blank.
28 Occupation – Trade, professional, or particular kind of work, as – frame spinner, salesman, laborer, rivet heater, music teacher.
29 Industry – Industry or business, as – cotton mill, retail grocery, farm, shipyard, public school.
30 Class of worker.
Code – Leave blank.
31 Number of weeks worked in 1939 (Equivalent full-time weeks).
32-33 Income in 1939 (12 months ending December 31, 1939).
32 Amount of money wages or salary received (including commissions.)
33 Did this person receive income of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary? (Yes or No.)
34 Number of Farm Schedule.
Symbols and Explanatory Notes:
Col. 5 – Where owners’ household occupies only a part of a structure, estimate value of portion occupied by owner’s household. Thus the value of the unit occupied by the owner of a two-family house might be approximately one-half the total value of the structure.
Col. 10. – Color or Race: White W; Negro Neg; Indian In; Chinese Chi; Japanese Jp; Filipino Fil; Hindu Hin; Korean Kor. Other race, spell out in full.
Col. 11 – Age at Last Birthday: Enter age of children born on or after April 1, 1939 as follows. Born in: April 1939 11/12; May 1939 10/12; June 1939 9/12; July 1939 8/12; August 1939 7/12; September 1939 6/12; October 1939 5/12; November 1939 4/12; December 1939 3/12; January 1939 2/12; February 1939 1/12; March 1939 0/12. (Do not include children born on or after April 1, 1940.)
Col. 14 -- Highest grade of school completed – None=C; Elementary school, 1st to 8th grade = 1, 2, etc. to 8. High school, 1st to 4th year = H-1, H-2, H-3, H-4; College, 1st to 4th year = C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4; College, 5th or subsequent year = C-5.
Col. 16 – Citizenship of the foreign born: Naturalized = Na; Having first papers = Pa; Alien = Al; American citizen born abroad =- Am Cit.
Col. 21 – Was this person at work? Enter Yes for persons at work for pay or profit in private or nonemergency Government work. Include unpaid family workers – that is, related members of the family working without money wages or salary on work (other than house work or incidental chores) which contributed to the family income.
Col. 24 – Did this person have a job? Enter “yes” for person (not seeking work) who had a job, business or professional enterprise, but did not work during week of March 24-30 for any of the following reason: Vacation, temporary illness, industrial dispute, layoff not exceeding 4 weeks with instructions to return to work at a specific date, layoff due to temporarily bad weather conditions.
Col. 30 and 47. Class of worker – Wage of salary worker in private work = PW; Wage or salary worker in Govt. work = GW; employer = E; Working on own account = OA; Unpaid family worker = NP.
Col. 41 – War or Military Service – World War = W; Spanish American War, Philippine insurrection or Boxer Rebellion = S; Spanish Am War and World War = SW; Regular establishment (Army, Navy, or Marine Corps) peace time service only = R; Other war or expedition = Ot.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS for persons enumerated on Lines 14 and 29.
35 Name
36 Place of Birth of Father
37 Place of Birth of Mother
Code (leave blank)
38 Mother Tongue (or native language) Language spoken in home in earliest childhood.
39-41 Veterans (Is this person a veteran of the United States military forces; or the wife, widow, or under 18-year-old child of a veteran?
39 If so, enter “Yes.”
40 If child is veteran – father dead? (Yes or No.)
41 War or military service.
Code (Leave blank)
42-44 Social Security
42 Does this person have a Federal Social Security Number? (Yes or No.)
43 Were deductions for Federal Old-Age Insurance or Railroad Retirement made from this person’s wages or salary in 1939? (Yes or No.)
44 If so, were deductions made from (1) all, (2) one-half or more, (3) part, but less than half, of wages or salary?
45-47 For Persons 14 Years old and over. Usual Occupation, Industry, and Class of Worker. Enter that occupation which the person regards as his usual occupation and at which he is physically able to work. If the person is unable to determine this, enter that occupation at which he has worked longest during the past 10 years and at which he is physically able to work. Enter also usual industry and usual class of worker. For a person without previous work experience, enter “None” in Col. 45 and Leave Cols. 46 and 47 blank.
45 Usual Occupation.
46 Usual Industry.
47 Usual Class of Worker.
Code (leave blank)
48-50 For All Women who Are or have been married.
48 Has this woman been married more than once? (Yes or No.)
49 Age at first marriage.
50 Number of children ever born. (Do not include stillbirths.)
K – Z for office use only, do not write in these columns.