Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the official census date?
- Do the original records exist?
- Why is the last roll of film numbered 2,668, but there are only 2,667 rolls of film?
- How were
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the official census date?
- Do the original records exist?
- Why is the last roll of film numbered 2,668, but there are only 2,667 rolls of film?
- How were Native Americans enumerated?
- What happened to the Farm Schedules, Unemployment Schedules, Supplemental Indian Schedules?
- What do the columns on the schedule marked "code" mean?
- What are the major differences from the earlier census records?
- How can I locate institutions in the census?
- Are there any name indexes?
- Why aren't all the states Soundexed?
- Is it possible that a person can be missed in the index?
- If a state isn't soundexed, how can I search the census?
- How can I view or buy the 1930 census microfilm?
- What are the definitions of terms used in the census?
- What questions were on the 1930 Census?
The official census date was April 1, 1930.
No. After filming the census in 1949, the Bureau of the Census destroyed the originals. The 1930 population schedules are reproduced as National Archives Microfilm Publication T626 (2,667 rolls).
When the Bureau of the Census numbered the rolls of microfilm, they skipped from roll 1601 to 1603. There is no roll 1602. Rolls 1601 and 1603 include Queens, New York. NARA staff verified that every enumeration district for Queens was microfilmed.
Native Americans are listed in the general population.
- None of these records have been located with the exception of the farm schedules for Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. These are in the process of being microfilmed.
- The Supplemental Indian schedules were destroyed, but Native Americans are found in the general population on the population schedules.
Following questions 21 and 26, the Bureau listed codes. These codes provide no additional information. After the Bureau collected the census schedules, the staff, not the enumerator, coded the information on occupations and nativity using codes established for the 1930 census. The Bureau staff tabulated this data to create the statistical summaries for its reports to Congress.
- In 1920, the census asked "if naturalized, year of naturalization." In 1930, the Census asked only if the person were naturalized.
- The 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses asked if a person owned or rented a house. In 1930, the schedules also included the value of the home or the amount of rent paid each month.
- The 1930 census asked if the home had a radio.
- The 1930 census asked a person's age at the time of his or her first marriage.
- In 1930, the census asked which specific war a man fought in.
- On the microfilms, ED numbers for institutions are listed at the end of the Soundex indexes for each state, except for Georgia, which does not include institutions. Institutions are distributed throughout the schedule microfilms.
There are Soundex indexes for the following states in their entirety:
- Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
In addition, there are Soundex indexes for the selected counties in Kentucky and West Virginia.
- Only the following Kentucky counties are indexed: Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Kenton, Muhlenberg, Perry, and Pike.
- Only the following West Virginia counties are indexed: Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, and Raleigh.
In the 1960s, the Bureau of the Census prepared the Soundex cards, but only for the Southern states."
Yes, but, there are no statistics on the rate of error. If you cannot find a person in the Soundex, then try to find them on the schedule.
If you know where the person you are looking for lived, you may still be able to locate them on the census. There are several different search strategies:
- City directories are useful because they give street addresses. You can take the address and then use one of the following methods to find the enumeration district. To aid researchers, the National Archives has purchased some microfilmed city directories for the years around 1930. This microfilm series is available at the National Archives Building and at our regional facilities. The census is not available at the Presidential Libraries. These are not National Archives publications and can be neither purchased nor rented from NARA. Many local libraries have city directories local to their area.
- Geographic descriptions of enumeration districts can be found in T1224, Descriptions of Enumeration Districts, 1830-1950 (156 rolls). The descriptions are arranged by state, then by county. The 1930 descriptions can be found on rolls 61 through 90. These are written descriptions of each enumeration district.
- Enumeration district maps can be found in M1930, Enumeration District Maps for the Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930 (36 rolls). These maps show the boundaries and the number of each enumeration district.
- M1931, Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930 Cen