1930 United States census

15th US national census

Fifteenth census
of the United States

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| <- 1920 | April 1, 1930 | 1940 ->

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U.S. Census Bureau seal

Population schedule
Indian census roll

General information
Country| United States
Results
Total population| 122,775,046 ( 13.7%)
Most populous state| New York
12,588,066
Least populous state| Nevada
91,058

The 1930 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during the 1920 census.

It was the first time the effects of suburban sprawl were recorded when, during the Roaring Twenties, a significant portion of the working population of New York City moved to New Jersey, aided by the George Washington Bridge which permitted quick transport from the state to Manhattan.

## Census questions

[edit]

The 1930 census collected the following information:[1]

* address
* name
* relationship to head of family
* home owned or rented
* if owned, value of home
* if rented, monthly rent
* whether owned a radio set
* whether on a farm
* sex
* race
* age
* marital status and, if married, age at first marriage
* school attendance
* literacy
* birthplace of person, and their parents
* if foreign born:
* language spoken at home before coming to the U. S.
* year of immigration
* whether naturalized
* ability to speak English
* occupation, industry and class of worker
* whether at work previous day (or last regular work day)
* veteran status
* if Indian:
* whether of full or mixed blood
* tribal affiliation

Full documentation for the 1930 census, including census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

## Data availability

[edit]

The original census enumeration sheets were microfilmed by the Census Bureau in 1949, after which the original sheets were destroyed.[2] The microfilmed census is located on 2,667 rolls of microfilm, and available from the National Archives and Records Administration. Several organizations also host images of the microfilmed census online, and digital indices.

Microdata from the 1930 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

## State rankings

[edit]

Rank  | State  | Population as of
1930 census[3] | Population as of
1920 census  | Change  | Percent
change

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  New York | 12,588,066  | 10,385,227  | 2,202,839  | 21.2%
2  |  Pennsylvania | 9,631,350  | 8,720,017  | 911,333  | 10.5%
3  |  Illinois | 7,630,654  | 6,485,280  | 1,145,374  | 17.7%
4  |  Ohio | 6,646,697  | 5,759,394  | 887,303  | 15.4%
5  |  Texas | 5,824,715  | 4,663,228  | 1,161,487  | 24.9%
6  |  California | 5,677,251  | 3,426,861  | 2,250,390  | 65.7%
7  |  Michigan | 4,842,325  | 3,668,412  | 1,173,913  | 32.0%
8  |  Massachusetts | 4,249,614  | 3,852,356  | 397,258  | 10.3%
9  |  New Jersey | 4,041,334  | 3,155,900  | 885,434  | 28.1%
10  |  Missouri | 3,629,367  | 3,404,055  | 225,312  | 6.6%
11  |  Indiana | 3,238,503  | 2,930,390  | 308,113  | 10.5%
12  |  North Carolina | 3,170,276  | 2,559,123  | 611,153  | 23.9%
13  |  Wisconsin | 2,939,006  | 2,632,067  | 306,939  | 11.7%
14  |  Georgia | 2,908,506  | 2,895,832  | 12,674  | 0.4%
15  |  Alabama | 2,646,248  | 2,348,174  | 298,074  | 12.7%
16  |  Tennessee | 2,616,556  | 2,337,885  | 278,671  | 11.9%
17  |  Kentucky | 2,614,589  | 2,416,630  | 197,959  | 8.2%
18  |  Minnesota | 2,563,953  | 2,387,125  | 176,828  | 7.4%
19  |  Iowa | 2,470,939  | 2,404,021  | 66,918  | 2.8%
20  |  Virginia | 2,421,851  | 2,309,187  | 112,664  | 4.9%
21  |  Oklahoma | 2,396,040  | 2,028,283  | 367,757  | 18.1%
22  |  Louisiana | 2,101,593  | 1,798,509  | 303,084  | 16.9%
23  |  Mississippi | 2,009,821  | 1,790,618  | 219,203  | 12.2%
24  |  Kansas | 1,880,999  | 1,769,257  | 111,742  | 6.3%
25  |  Arkansas | 1,854,482  | 1,752,204  | 102,278  | 5.8%
26  |  South Carolina | 1,738,765  | 1,683,724  | 55,041  | 3.3%
27  |  West Virginia | 1,729,205  | 1,463,701  | 265,504  | 18.1%
28  |  Maryland | 1,631,526  | 1,449,661  | 181,865  | 12.5%
29  |  Connecticut | 1,606,903  | 1,380,631  | 226,272  | 16.4%
30  |  Washington | 1,563,396  | 1,356,621  | 206,775  | 15.2%
31  |  Florida | 1,468,211  | 968,470  | 499,741  | 51.6%
32  |  Nebraska | 1,377,963  | 1,296,372  | 81,591  | 6.3%
33  |  Colorado | 1,035,791  | 939,629  | 96,162  | 10.2%
34  |  Oregon | 953,786  | 783,389  | 170,397  | 21.8%
35  |  Maine | 797,423  | 768,014  | 29,409  | 3.8%
36  |  South Dakota | 692,849  | 636,547  | 56,302  | 8.8%
37  |  Rhode Island | 687,497  | 604,397  | 83,100  | 13.7%
38  |  North Dakota | 680,845  | 646,872  | 33,973  | 5.3%
39  |  Montana | 537,606  | 548,889  | -11,283  | -2.1%
40  |  Utah | 507,847  | 449,396  | 58,451  | 13.0%
- |  District of Columbia | 486,869  | 437,571  | 49,298  | 11.3%
41  |  New Hampshire | 465,293  | 443,083  | 22,210  | 5.0%
42  |  Idaho | 445,032  | 431,866  | 13,166  | 3.0%
43  |  Arizona | 435,573  | 334,162  | 101,411  | 30.3%
44  |  New Mexico | 423,317  | 360,350  | 62,967  | 17.5%
- |  Hawaii | 368,300  | 255,881  | 112,419  | 43.9%
45  |  Vermont | 359,611  | 352,428  | 7,183  | 2.0%
46  |  Delaware | 238,380  | 223,003  | 15,377  | 6.9%
47  |  Wyoming | 225,565  | 194,402  | 31,163  | 16.0%
48  |  Nevada | 91,058  | 77,407  | 13,651  | 17.6%
- |  Alaska | 59,278  | 55,036  | 4,242  | 7.7%

## City rankings

[edit]

Rank | City | State | Population[4] | Region (2016)[5]

|
|
|
|

01 | New York | New York | 6,930,446 | Northeast
02 | Chicago | Illinois | 3,376,438 | Midwest
03 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,950,961 | Northeast
04 | Detroit | Michigan | 1,568,662 | Midwest
05 | Los Angeles | California | 1,238,048 | West
06 | Cleveland | Ohio | 900,429 | Midwest
07 | St. Louis | Missouri | 821,960 | Midwest
08 | Baltimore | Maryland | 804,874 | South
09 | Boston | Massachusetts | 781,188 | Northeast
10 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 669,817 | Northeast
11 | San Francisco | California | 634,394 | West
12 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 578,249 | Midwest
13 | Buffalo | New York | 573,076 | Northeast
14 | Washington | District of Columbia | 486,869 | South
15 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | 464,356 | Midwest
16 | New Orleans | Louisiana | 458,762 | South
17 | Cincinnati | Ohio | 451,160 | Midwest
18 | Newark | New Jersey | 442,337 | Northeast
19 | Kansas City | Missouri | 399,746 | Midwest
20 | Seattle | Washington | 365,583 | West
21 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 364,161 | Midwest
22 | Rochester | New York | 328,132 | Northeast
23 | Jersey City | New Jersey | 316,715 | Northeast
24 | Louisville | Kentucky | 307,745 | South
25 | Portland | Oregon | 301,815 | West
26 | Houston | Texas | 292,352 | South
27 | Toledo | Ohio | 290,718 | Midwest
28 | Columbus | Ohio | 290,564 | Midwest
29 | Denver | Colorado | 287,861 | West
30 | Oakland | California | 284,063 | West
31 | Saint Paul | Minnesota | 271,606 | Midwest
32 | Atlanta | Georgia | 270,366 | South
33 | Dallas | Texas | 260,475 | South
34 | Birmingham | Alabama | 259,678 | South
35 | Akron | Ohio | 255,040 | Midwest
36 | Memphis | Tennessee | 253,143 | South
37 | Providence | Rhode Island | 252,981 | Northeast
38 | San Antonio | Texas | 231,542 | South
39 | Omaha | Nebraska | 214,006 | Midwest
40 | Syracuse | New York | 209,326 | Northeast
41 | Dayton | Ohio | 200,982 | Midwest
42 | Worcester | Massachusetts | 195,311 | Northeast
43 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 185,389 | South
44 | Richmond | Virginia | 182,929 | South
45 | Youngstown | Ohio | 170,002 | Midwest
46 | Grand Rapids | Michigan | 168,592 | Midwest
47 | Hartford | Connecticut | 164,072 | Northeast
48 | Fort Worth | Texas | 163,447 | South
49 | New Haven | Connecticut | 162,655 | Northeast
50 | Flint | Michigan | 156,492 | Midwest
51 | Nashville | Tennessee | 153,866 | South
52 | Springfield | Massachusetts | 149,900 | Northeast
53 | San Diego | California | 147,995 | West
54 | Bridgeport | Connecticut | 146,716 | Northeast
55 | Scranton | Pennsylvania | 143,433 | Northeast
56 | Des Moines | Iowa | 142,559 | Midwest
57 | Long Beach | California | 142,032 | West
58 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | 141,258 | South
59 | Salt Lake City | Utah | 140,267 | West
60 | Paterson | New Jersey | 138,513 | Northeast
61 | Yonkers | New York | 134,646 | Northeast
62 | Norfolk | Virginia | 129,710 | South
63 | Jacksonville | Florida | 129,549 | South
64 | Albany | New York | 127,412 | Northeast
65 | Trenton | New Jersey | 123,356 | Northeast
66 | Kansas City | Kansas | 121,857 | Midwest
67 | Chattanooga | Tennessee | 119,798 | South
68 | Camden | New Jersey | 118,700 | Northeast
69 | Erie | Pennsylvania | 115,967 | Northeast
70 | Spokane | Washington | 115,514 | West
71 | Fall River | Massachusetts | 115,274 | Northeast
72 | Fort Wayne | Indiana | 114,946 | Midwest
73 | Elizabeth | New Jersey | 114,589 | Northeast
74 | Cambridge | Massachusetts | 113,643 | Northeast
75 | New Bedford | Massachusetts | 112,597 | Northeast
76 | Reading | Pennsylvania | 111,171 | Northeast
77 | Wichita | Kansas | 111,110 | Midwest
78 | Miami | Florida | 110,637 | South
79 | Tacoma | Washington | 106,817 | West
80 | Wilmington | Delaware | 106,597 | South
81 | Knoxville | Tennessee | 105,802 | South
82 | Peoria | Illinois | 104,969 | Midwest
83 | Canton | Ohio | 104,906 | Midwest
84 | South Bend | Indiana | 104,193 | Midwest
85 | Somerville | Massachusetts | 103,908 | Northeast
86 | El Paso | Texas | 102,421 | South
87 | Lynn | Massachusetts | 102,320 | Northeast
88 | Evansville | Indiana | 102,249 | Midwest
89 | Utica | New York | 101,740 | Northeast
90 | Duluth | Minnesota | 101,463 | Midwest
91 | Tampa | Florida | 101,161 | South
92 | Gary | Indiana | 100,426 | Midwest
93 | Lowell | Massachusetts | 100,234 | Northeast
94 | Waterbury | Connecticut | 99,902 | Northeast
95 | Schenectady | New York | 95,692 | Northeast
96 | Sacramento | California | 93,750 | West
97 | Allentown | Pennsylvania | 92,563 | Northeast
98 | Bayonne | New Jersey | 88,979 | Northeast
99 | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania | 86,626 | Northeast
100 | Rockford | Illinois | 85,864 | Midwest

## Locations of 50 most populous cities

[edit]

New York

Chicago

Philadelphia

Detroit

Los Angeles

Cleveland

St. Louis

Baltimore

Boston

Pittsburgh

San Francisco

Milwaukee

Buffalo

Washington

Minneapolis

New Orleans

Cincinnati

Newark

Kansas City

Seattle

Indianapolis

Rochester

Jersey City

Louisville

Portland

Houston

Toledo

Columbus

Denver

Oakland

Saint Paul

Atlanta

Dallas

Birmingham

Akron

Memphis

Providence

San Antonio

Omaha

Syracuse

Dayton

Worcester

Oklahoma City

Richmond

Youngstown

Grand Rapids

Hartford

Fort Worth

New Haven

class=notpageimage|

Location of 50 largest cities by population in the United States in 1930. Not shown: Manila, Philippines.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925". New York State Library. October 1981. p. 45 (p. 51 of PDF). Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
2. ^ The United States National Archives and Records Administration. "FAQs about the 1930 Census". National Archives website. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
3. ^ "1930 Census: Volume 1. Population, Number and Distribution of Inhabitants". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
4. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
5. ^ "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1930 United States Census.

* 1930 Census Questions Hosted at CensusFinder.com
* 1931 U.S Census Report Contains 1930 census results
* Historic US Census data
* 1930Census.com: 1930 United States Census for Genealogy & Family History Research
* 1930 Interactive US Census Find stories, photos and more attached to names on the 1930 US census.

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