The 1940 Census Public Use Microdata Sample Project was assembled through a collaborative effort between the United States Bureau of the Census and the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin. The collection contains a stratified 1-percent sample of households, with separate records for each household, for each "sample line" respondent, and for each person in the household. These records were encoded from microfilm copies of original handwritten enumeration schedules from the 1940 Census of Population. Geographic identification of the location of the sampled households includes Census regions and divisions, states (except Alaska and Hawaii), standard metropolitan areas (SMAs), and state economic areas (SEAs). Accompanying the data collection is a codebook that includes an abstract, descriptions of sample design, processing procedures and file structure, a data dictionary (record layout), category code lists, and a glossary. Also included is a procedural history of the 1940 Census. Each of the 20 subsamples contains three record types: household, sample line, and person. Household variables describe the location and condition of the household. The sample line records contain variables describing demographic characteristics such as nativity, marital status, number of children, veteran status, wage deductions for Social Security, and occupation. Person records also contain variables describing demographic characteristics including nativity, marital status, family membership, education, employment status, income, and occupation. (Source: downloaded from ICPSR 7/13/10)

Please Note: This dataset is part of the historical CISER Data Archive Collection and is also available at ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR08236.v1. We highly recommend using the ICPSR version as they may make this dataset available in multiple data formats in the future.

In the past four centuries, the population of the Thirteen Colonies and United States of America has grown from a recorded 350 people around the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1610, to an estimated 346 million in 2025. While the fertility rate has now dropped well below replacement level, and the population is on track to go into a natural decline in the 2040s, projected high net immigration rates mean the population will continue growing well into the next century, crossing the 400 million mark in the 2070s. Indigenous population Early population figures for the Thirteen Colonies and United States come with certain caveats. Official records excluded the indigenous population, and they generally remained excluded until the late 1800s. In 1500, in the first decade of European colonization of the Americas, the native population living within the modern U.S. borders was believed to be around 1.9 million people. The spread of Old World diseases, such as smallpox, measles, and influenza, to biologically defenseless populations in the New World then wreaked havoc across the continent, often wiping out large portions of the population in areas that had not yet made contact with Europeans. By the time of Jamestown's founding in 1607, it is believed the native population within current U.S. borders had dropped by almost 60 percent. As the U.S. expanded, indigenous populations were largely still excluded from population figures as they were driven westward, however taxpaying Natives were included in the census from 1870 to 1890, before all were included thereafter. It should be noted that estimates for indigenous populations in the Americas vary significantly by source and time period. Migration and expansion fuels population growth The arrival of European settlers and African slaves was the key driver of population growth in North America in the 17th century. Settlers from Britain were the dominant group in the Thirteen Colonies, before settlers from elsewhere in Europe, particularly Germany and Ireland, made a large impact in the mid-19th century. By the end of the 19th century, improvements in transport technology and increasing economic opportunities saw migration to the United States increase further, particularly from southern and Eastern Europe, and in the first decade of the 1900s the number of migrants to the U.S. exceeded one million people in some years. It is also estimated that almost 400,000 African slaves were transported directly across the Atlantic to mainland North America between 1500 and 1866 (although the importation of slaves was abolished in 1808). Blacks made up a much larger share of the population before slavery's abolition. Twentieth and twenty-first century The U.S. population has grown steadily since 1900, reaching one hundred million in the 1910s, two hundred million in the 1960s, and three hundred million in 2007. Since WWII, the U.S. has established itself as the world's foremost superpower, with the world's largest economy, and most powerful military. This growth in prosperity has been accompanied by increases in living standards, particularly through medical advances, infrastructure improvements, clean water accessibility. These have all contributed to higher infant and child survival rates, as well as an increase in life expectancy (doubling from roughly 40 to 80 years in the past 150 years), which have also played a large part in population growth. As fertility rates decline and increases in life expectancy slows, migration remains the largest factor in population growth. Since the 1960s, Latin America has now become the most common origin for migrants in the U.S., while immigration rates from Asia have also increased significantly. It remains to be seen how immigration restrictions of the current administration affect long-term population projections for the United States.

United States Population: All Ages data was reported at 325,719.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 323,406.000 Person th for 2016. United States Population: All Ages data is updated yearly, averaging 176,356.000 Person th from Jun 1900 (Median) to 2017, with 118 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 325,719.000 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 76,094.000 Person th in 1900. United States Population: All Ages data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G002: Population by Age. Series Remarks Population data for the years 1900 to 1949 exclude the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Population data for the years 1940 to 1979 cover the resident population plus Armed Forces overseas. Population data for all other years cover only the resident population.

The Census Tree is the largest-ever database of record links among the historical U.S. censuses, with over 700 million links for people living in the United States between 1850 and 1940. These links allow researchers to construct a longitudinal dataset that is highly representative of the population, and that includes women, Black Americans, and other under-represented populations at unprecedented rates. Each .csv file consists of a crosswalk between the two years indicated in the filename, using the IPUMS histids. For more information, consult the included Read Me file, and visit https://censustree.org.

The 1940 Census population schedules were created by the Bureau of the Census in an attempt to enumerate every person living in the United States on April 1, 1940, although some persons were missed. The 1940 census population schedules were digitized by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and released publicly on April 2, 2012. The 1940 Census enumeration district maps contain maps of counties, cities, and other minor civil divisions that show enumeration districts, census tracts, and related boundaries and numbers used for each census. The coverage is nation wide and includes territorial areas. The 1940 Census enumeration district descriptions contain written descriptions of census districts, subdivisions, and enumeration districts.

This is an extract of the decennial Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) released by the Bureau of the Census. Because the complete PUMS files contain several hundred thousand records, ICPSR has constructed this subset to allow for easier and less costly analysis. The collection of data at ten year increments allows the user to follow various age cohorts through the life-cycle. Data include information on the household and its occupants such as size and value of dwelling, utility costs, number of people in the household, and their relationship to the respondent. More detailed information was collected on the respondent, the head of household, and the spouse, if present. Variables include education, marital status, occupation and income.

This data collection contains population estimates for various time periods spanning from 1900 to 1979. The data for 1900-1929 represent the resident population of the United States by single year of age (0 to 75+), race (white, nonwhite), and sex. Data for these years exclude the Armed Forces and the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Age 75 includes all ages from 75 up. The files for 1930-1939 represent the resident population of the United States by single year of age (0 to 75+), race (white, nonwhite), and sex. Data for these years exclude the Armed Forces and the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Age 75 includes all ages from 75 up. The files for 1940-1949 represent the resident population plus Armed Forces overseas of the United States by single year of age (0 to 85+), race (white, nonwhite), and sex. Data for these years exclude the the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Age 85 includes all ages from 85 up. The files for 1950-1959 represent the resident population plus Armed Forces overseas of the United States by single year of age (0 to 85+), race (white, nonwhite), and sex. Data for these years include the the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Age 85 includes all ages from 85 up. The files for 1960-1979 represent the resident population plus Armed Forces overseas of the United States by single year of age (0 to 85+), race (white, black, and other), and sex. Data for these years include the the population residing in Alaska and Hawaii. Age 85 includes all ages from 85 up.

In 2023, about 17.7 percent of the American population was 65 years old or over; an increase from the last few years and a figure which is expected to reach 22.8 percent by 2050. This is a significant increase from 1950, when only eight percent of the population was 65 or over. A rapidly aging population In recent years, the aging population of the United States has come into focus as a cause for concern, as the nature of work and retirement is expected to change to keep up. If a population is expected to live longer than the generations before, the economy will have to change as well to fulfill the needs of the citizens. In addition, the birth rate in the U.S. has been falling over the last 20 years, meaning that there are not as many young people to replace the individuals leaving the workforce. The future population It’s not only the American population that is aging -- the global population is, too. By 2025, the median age of the global workforce is expected to be 39.6 years, up from 33.8 years in 1990. Additionally, it is projected that there will be over three million people worldwide aged 100 years and over by 2050.

In 1938, the year before the outbreak of the Second world War, the countries with the largest populations were China, the Soviet Union, and the United States, although the United Kingdom had the largest overall population when it's colonies, dominions, and metropole are combined. Alongside France, these were the five Allied "Great Powers" that emerged victorious from the Second World War. The Axis Powers in the war were led by Germany and Japan in their respective theaters, and their smaller populations were decisive factors in their defeat. Manpower as a resource In the context of the Second World War, a country or territory's population played a vital role in its ability to wage war on such a large scale. Not only were armies able to call upon their people to fight in the war and replenish their forces, but war economies were also dependent on their workforce being able to meet the agricultural, manufacturing, and logistical demands of the war. For the Axis powers, invasions and the annexation of territories were often motivated by the fact that it granted access to valuable resources that would further their own war effort - millions of people living in occupied territories were then forced to gather these resources, or forcibly transported to work in manufacturing in other Axis territories. Similarly, colonial powers were able to use resources taken from their territories to supply their armies, however this often had devastating consequences for the regions from which food was redirected, contributing to numerous food shortages and famines across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Men from annexed or colonized territories were also used in the armies of the war's Great Powers, and in the Axis armies especially. This meant that soldiers often fought alongside their former-enemies. Aftermath The Second World War was the costliest in human history, resulting in the deaths of between 70 and 85 million people. Due to the turmoil and destruction of the war, accurate records for death tolls generally do not exist, therefore pre-war populations (in combination with other statistics), are used to estimate death tolls. The Soviet Union is believed to have lost the largest amount of people during the war, suffering approximately 24 million fatalities by 1945, followed by China at around 20 million people. The Soviet death toll is equal to approximately 14 percent of its pre-war population - the countries with the highest relative death tolls in the war are found in Eastern Europe, due to the intensity of the conflict and the systematic genocide committed in the region during the war.

Due to the devastating impact of the Second World War on the Soviet population, the total population in 1950 was almost 15.5 million fewer than in 1940, which is a decrease of eight percent. In Russia (RSFSR), the largest of the Soviet states, the population difference was almost nine million people; also eight percent. It would take until 1955 for the populations of either the USSR or Russia to reach their pre-war levels, which was a decade after the conflict had ended. Urbanization Despite this drop in total population, industrialization and urbanization saw a significant change in the USSR's population distribution between the given years. The Soviet urban population increased by 6.3 million, or ten percent, between 1940 and 1950; 5.8 million of this was in Russia, which was a 15 percent increase. In contrast, the Soviet Union's rural population dropped by 21.8 million (a 17 percent change), 14.5 million of which in Russia (a decrease of 20 percent). In terms of overall population, the urban population of the USSR rose from 33 to 39 percent between 1940 and 1950, and from 34 to 43 percent in Russia. By 1955, 44 percent of the Soviet population, and 49 percent of the Russian population, lived in an urban setting.

In 2021, about ** percent of the United States population aged 25 to 34 years had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, showing an increasing trend. In contrast, during 1940, only around six percent of the population among those ages attained a bachelor's degree.

This data collection contains three files of county-level electoral returns for Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, and New York in the period 1912, and 1920-1940. The data files were prepared for instructional use in the ICPSR Training Program and for graduate-level social science courses at the University of Michigan and other university campuses. They contain social, demographic, electoral, and economic data for various areas of the United States, usually for an extended period of time. Part 1, Ohio Referenda Counties as Units, and Part 2, Ohio Referenda as Units, consist of county-level returns for 42 referenda in the 1912 general election in Ohio. Data are provided for the names of counties, votes in the affirmative, total number of votes, and percentage of the "yes" votes for referenda on issues such as civil juries, capital punishment, governor's veto, workmen's compensation, 8-hour day, removal of elected officials, prison labor, women's suffrage, and taxes. The referenda included many questions considered important in the Progressive Movement. Part 3, Data Sets for Three States (Michigan, Nebraska, and New York), consists of electoral returns for the offices of president, governor, and United States representative, as well as ecological and population characteristics data in the period 1920-1940. Data are provided for the raw votes and percentage of the total votes received by the Democratic, Republican, Progressive, and other parties. Items also provide information on population characteristics, such as the total number of population, voting age population, urban population, and persons of other races, and school attendance and religion. Economic variables provide information on local government expenditures and revenues, agriculture and manufacturing, employment and unemployment, and the total number of banks and bank deposits.

These data comprise Census records relating to the Alaskan people's population demographics for the State of Alaskan Salmon and People (SASAP) Project. Decennial census data were originally extracted from IPUMS National Historic Geographic Information Systems website: https://data2.nhgis.org/main (Citation: Steven Manson, Jonathan Schroeder, David Van Riper, and Steven Ruggles. IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 12.0 [Database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. 2017. http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V12.0). A number of relevant tables of basic demographics on age and race, household income and poverty levels, and labor force participation were extracted. These particular variables were selected as part of an effort to understand and potentially quantify various dimensions of well-being in Alaskan communities. The file "censusdata_master.csv" is a consolidation of all 21 other data files in the package. For detailed information on how the datasets vary over different years, view the file "readme.docx" available in this data package. The included .Rmd file is a script which combines the 21 files by year into a single file (censusdata_master.csv). It also cleans up place names (including typographical errors) and uses the USGS place names dataset and the SASAP regions dataset to assign latitude and longitude values and region values to each place in the dataset. Note that some places were not assigned a region or location because they do not fit well into the regional framework. Considerable heterogeneity exists between census surveys each year. While we have attempted to combine these datasets in a way that makes sense, there may be some discrepancies or unexpected values. The RMarkdown document SASAPWebsiteGraphicsCensus.Rmd is used to generate a variety of figures using these data, including the additional file Chignik_population.png. An additional set of 25 figures showing regional trends in population and income metrics are also included.

This data collection and its 1940 counterpart were assembled through a collaborative effort between the United States Bureau of the Census and the Center for Demography and Ecology of the University of Wisconsin. The 1940 and 1950 Census Public Use Sample Project was supported by The National Science Foundation under Grant SES-7704135. The collections contain a stratified 1-percent sample of households, with separate records for each household, for each \'sample line\' respondent, and for each person in the household. These records were encoded from microfilm copies of original handwritten enumeration schedules from the 1940 and 1950 Censuses of Population. The universe for the sample included all persons and households within the United States. Geographic identification of the location of the sampled households includes Census regions and divisions, States (except Alaska and Hawaii), Standard Metropolitan Areas (SMA\'s), and State Economic Areas (SEA\'s). The SMA\'s and SEA\'s are comparable for both the 1940 and 1950 Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS). The data collections were constructed from and consist of 20 independently-drawn subsamples stored in 20 discrete physical files. Each of the 20 subsamples contains three record types (household, \'sample line\', and person). Both collections had both a complete-count and a sample component. Individuals selected for the sample component were asked a set of additional questions. Only households with a \'sample line\' person were included in the public use microdata sample. The collections also contain records of group quarters members who were also on the Census \'sample line\'. For the 1940 and 1950 collections, each household record contains variables describing the location and composition of the household. The \'sample line\' records for 1950 contain variables describing demographic characteristics such as nativity, marital status, number of children, veteran status, education, income, and occupation. The person records for 1950 contain such demographic variables as nativity, marital status, family membership, and occupation. Accompanying the data collections are code books which include an abstract, descriptions of sample design, processing procedures and file structure, a data dictionary (record layout), category code lists, and a glossary. The data collections are arranged by subsample with each subsample stored as a separate physical file of information. The 20 subsamples were selected randomly. Within each of the 20 subsamples, records are sequenced by State. Extracting all of the records for one State entails reading through all of the 20 physical files and selecting that State\'s records from each of the 20 subsamples. Record types are ordered within household (household characteristics first, \'sample line\' next, and person records last). The 1950 collection consists of a total of 2,844,458 data records: 461,130 household records, 461,130 \'sample line\' records, and 1,922,198 person records. Each record type has a logical record length of 133.;

Graph and download economic data for Total Households (TTLHH) from 1940 to 2024 about households, household survey, and USA.

The 1915 Iowa State Census is a unique document. It was the first census in the United States to include information on education and income prior to the United States Federal Census of 1940. It contains considerable detail on other aspects of individuals and households, e.g., religion, wealth and years in the United States and Iowa. The Iowa State Census of 1915 was a complete sample of the residents of the state and the returns were written by census takers (assessors) on index cards. These cards were kept in the Iowa State Archives in Des Moines and were microfilmed in 1986 by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City. The census cards were sorted by county, although large cities (those having more than 25,000 residents) were grouped separately. Within each county or large city, records were alphabetized by last name and within last name by first name. This data set includes individual-level records for three of the largest Iowa cities (Des Moines, Dubuque, and Davenport; the Sioux City films were unreadable) and for ten counties that did not contain a large city. (Additional details on sample selection are available in the documentation). Variables include name, age, place of residence, earnings, education, birthplace, religion, marital status, race, occupation, military service, among others. Data on familial ties between records are also included.

United States Department of Commerce.

In an impressive increase from years past, 39 percent of women in the United States had completed four years or more of college in 2022. This figure is up from 3.8 percent of women in 1940. A significant increase can also be seen in males, with 36.2 percent of the U.S. male population having completed four years or more of college in 2022, up from 5.5 percent in 1940.

4- and 2-year colleges

In the United States, college students are able to choose between attending a 2-year postsecondary program and a 4-year postsecondary program. Generally, attending a 2-year program results in an Associate’s Degree, and 4-year programs result in a Bachelor’s Degree.

Many 2-year programs are designed so that attendees can transfer to a college or university offering a 4-year program upon completing their Associate’s. Completion of a 4-year program is the generally accepted standard for entry-level positions when looking for a job.

Earnings after college

Factors such as gender, degree achieved, and the level of postsecondary education can have an impact on employment and earnings later in life. Some Bachelor’s degrees continue to attract more male students than female, particularly in STEM fields, while liberal arts degrees such as education, languages and literatures, and communication tend to see higher female attendance.

All of these factors have an impact on earnings after college, and despite nearly the same rate of attendance within the American population between males and females, men with a Bachelor’s Degree continue to have higher weekly earnings on average than their female counterparts.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 Census (P.L. 94-171) Redistricting Data Summary Files; (25 August 2021). U.S. Census Bureau; Census 2000, Summary File 1, Table DP-1; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; http://factfinder2.census.gov; (30 December 2015). U.S. Census Bureau; Census 2010, Summary File 1, Table P1; generated by CCRPC staff; using American FactFinder; http://factfinder2.census.gov; (30 December 2015). U.S. Census Bureau; 1980 Census of Population, Volume 1: Characteristics of the Population, Chapter A: Number of Inhabitants, Part 15: Illinois, PC80-1-A15, Table 4, Population of County Subdivisions: 1960-1980, Department of Commerce and Labor Bureau of the Census; Thirteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1910, Statistics for Illinois, Table 1. - Population of Minor Civil Divisions: 1910, 1900, and 1890.; https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/decennial-publications.1910.html; (23 August 2018). Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census; Fourteenth Census of the United States, State Compendium Illinois, Table 2. - Population of Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1900. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1924/dec/state-compendium.html; (23 August 2018). U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census; Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Population: Volume III, Reports by States, Illinois and Idaho, Table 21; https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1932/dec/1930a-vol-03-population.html; (23 August 2018). United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population: Volume 1, Number of Inhabitants, Total Population for States, Counties, and Minor Civil Divisions; for Urban and Rural Areas; for Incorporated Places; for Metropolitan Districts; and for Census Tracts; Table 4; https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1942/dec/population-vol-1.html.; (23 August 2018). U.S Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census; Census of Population: 1950, Volume I Number of Inhabitants, Table 6; https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1952/dec/population-vol-01.html; (23 August 2018).

In the 1824 U.S presidential election, which was the first where a popular vote was used to determine the overall winner, approximately three percent of the U.S. population voted in the election, while only one percent actually voted for the winner. Over the following decades, restrictions that prevented non-property owning males from voting were gradually repealed, and almost all white men over the age of 21 could vote by the 1856 election. The next major development was the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution following the American Civil War, which granted suffrage to all male citizens of voting age, regardless of race. Turnout then grew to almost twenty percent at the turn of the century, however Jim Crow laws played a large part in keeping these numbers lower than they potentially could have been, by disenfranchising black communities in the south and undoing much of the progress made during the Reconstruction Era. Extension of voting rights Female suffrage, granted to women in 1920, was responsible for the largest participation increase between any two elections in U.S. history. Between the 1916 and 1920 elections, overall turnout increased by almost seven percent, and it continued to grow to 38 percent by the 1940 election; largely due to the growth in female participation over time. Following a slight reduction during the Second World War and 1948 elections, turnout remained at between 36 and forty percent from the 1950s until the 1990s. Between these decades, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Twenty-Sixth Amendment in 1971 respectively re-enfranchised many black voters in the south and reduced the voting age in all states from 21 to 18 years old. Participation among female voters has also exceeded male participation in all elections since 1980. Recent trends The 1992 election was the first where more than forty percent of the total population cast ballots, and turnout has been above forty percent in all presidential elections since 2004. Along with the extension of voting rights, the largest impact on voter turnout has been the increase in life expectancy throughout the centuries, almost doubling in the past 150 years. As the overall average age has risen, so too has the share of the total population who are eligible to vote, and older voters have had the highest turnout rates since the 1980s. Another factor is increased political involvement among ethnic minorities; while white voters have traditionally had the highest turnout rates in presidential elections, black voters turnout has exceeded the national average since 2008. Asian and Hispanic voter turnouts have also increased in the past twenty years, with the growing Hispanic vote in southern and border states expected to cause a major shift in U.S. politics in the coming decades.

In terms of the most popular presidents, in the 1940 election, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to have been elected by more than one fifth of the total population. Three presidents were elected by more than 22 percent of the total population, respectively Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Richard Nixon in 1972 and Barack Obama in 2008, while Ronald Reagan's re-election in 1984 saw him become the only president in U.S. history to win with the support of more than 23 percent of the total population. While the vote count for the 2020 election is still to be finalized, President-elect Joe Biden has already received 81.28 million votes as of December 02, which would also translate to over 24.5 percent of the total population, and will likely near 25 percent by the end of the counting process.