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Fifteenth census of the United States
← 1920 April 1, 1930 1940 →
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

The 1930 census collected the following information:

• 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

The original census enumeration sheets were microfilmed by the Census Bureau in 1949, after which the original sheets were destroyed. 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

Rank	State	Population as of 1930 census	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

Locations of 50 most populous cities

Notes

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

• 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.

• 1930 in the United States
• United States census
• 1930 censuses