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1940 census: how to search it free

Guide ยท 4 min readChecked Sources linked at the end

Search the 1940 US census free on FamilySearch with a free account, or browse the page images at the National Archives with no account. Start with a name and a state.

The records opened on and cover about 132 million people. It is the first census that asked where each person lived five years earlier, in 1935.

How to find one family

  1. Search the FamilySearch index by name. Enter the name, the state and an approximate birth year. A range of 5 years either side catches most age errors.
  2. Open the page image, not just the index line. Indexers misread handwriting. The image is what counts as a source.
  3. Use the 1935 residence column. It tells you where the family lived five years before. That points to the next record to search.
  4. Browse by place if the name misses. Find the enumeration district for the town or street with the free finder at stevemorse.org, then page through it at the National Archives.
  5. Copy the citation into your tree. Write down the enumeration district, sheet and line. With the image attached, the fact is PROVEN in RootsFree.

What the 1940 census asked

EveryoneName, relationship, sex, race, age, marital status, schooling, birthplace, citizenship if foreign born
ResidenceWhere the person lived on April 1, 1935
Age 14 and upWork status, hours, occupation, industry, weeks worked and wage income in 1939
Sample linesTwo people per page also answered on parents' birthplace, native language and veteran status

Questions

Do I need an account to search the 1940 census?

FamilySearch needs a free account. The National Archives page images need none.

Go to the records

Related guides

1950 census: how to search it freeFree at the National Archives, no account. Search by name and state, or by place when the name index misses. Naturalization records: how to find them freeUse the census citizenship columns to get a year, then find the papers. The forms changed in 1906. FamilySearch vs Ancestry: what users sayFree records versus a paid index. What r/Genealogy users say about each, quoted with links.