Facts by Decade

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Facts by Decade

Censuses are not conducted in a vacuum. They occur amidst internal and external crisis, shifts in cultural interests, and events that become "defining moments" for each generation. Census data reflect the growth of the population as well as the changing values and interests of the American people.

Fast Facts provides a portrait of the United States both statistically and culturally. In addition to census-related statistics, the innovations, events, and icons of each decade are highlighted. Each page illustrates the thought and culture of the population counted during each decade's census.

1930

ICONS: FDR, 1936 Berlin Olympics, Hindenburg

Population

123,202,624	U.S. Resident Population
34.7	Population per square mile of land area
16.2	Percent increase of population from 1920 to 1930
48	Number of States

10 Largest Urban Places

Rank	Place	Population
1	New York City, NY	6,930,446
2	Chicago, IL	3,376,438
3	Philadelphia, PA	1,950,961
4	Detroit, MI	1,568,662
5	Los Angeles, CA	1,238,048
6	Cleveland, OH	900,429
7	St. Louis, MO	821,960
8	Baltimore, MD	804,874
9	Boston, MA	781,188
10	Pittsburgh, PA	669,817

The 1930 Census

Cost	$40,156,000
Cost per Capita (cents)	32.6
Total Pages in Published Reports	35,700
Number of Enumerators	87,756
Census Bureau Director	William M. Steuart
Number of Questions on the Questionnaire	34
Number of Questions on the Long Form	N/A

Pop Culture

3M employee Richard Drew invents Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape in 1930. Today, it is widely known simply as "Scotch Tape."
The Mickey Mouse comic strip debuts in the January 13, 1930, edition of the New York Mirror.
On October 17, 1931, Chicago gangster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and later sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats incumbant Republican Herbert Hoover in the 1932 election.
The Boulder Dam (today known as "Hoover Dam") is completed 2 years ahead of schedule on March 1, 1936.
Jesse Owens wins four gold medals during the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner become the first inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
The German airship Hindenburg is destroyed while attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station on May 6, 1937.
American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, July 2, 1937.
Superman debuts in Action Comics #1 in June 1938.
Gone with the Wind wins the Academy Award for "Best Picture" in 1939.