How can I search for median income, home price or education at the enumeration level?

NHGIS
1

I’m trying to find the median income, home price, and education level at the aggragate level of enumeration districts from the 1940s census.

2

NHGIS doesn’t currrently provide access to enumeration district tabulations from the 1940 census. We do have census tract data from the 1940 census, for the 18 or so cities that were tracted at that time. To find those data, you should filter by Year (1940) and Geographic Level (Census tract). Those filters will show you all data tables available at the census tract level. Then, you can add Topic filters to hone in on Income, House Value, and Educational Attainment.

If you need enumeration district tabulations, you will have to create them from the 1940 full-count data, available in IPUMS-USA. The full-count data provide individual person-level data, and you can create your own enumeration district tabulations from the individual records. You will have to use a stats package (e.g., Stata, SAS, SPSS, or R) or a programming language (e.g. Python) for this process.

To get the data you need from IPUMS-USA, follow these steps:

  1. Go to https://usa.ipums.org/usa/ and then click the Get Data button.

  2. Click the Select Samples button

  3. Click the checkbox next to “Default sample from each year” to de-select defaults.

  4. Click the USA FULL COUNT tab.

  5. Click the check box next toe 1940 100%.

  6. Click the SUBMIT SAMPLE SELECTIONS to apply your choice.

  7. Now you’re ready to choose your variables. Click HOUSEHOLD and select GEOGRAPHIC from the dropdown menu.

  8. You will need the following geography variables to uniquely identify enumeration districts: STATEFIP, COUNTY. Click the plus icon to add them to your cart.

  9. Click HOUSHOLD and select HISTORICAL TECHNICAL from the dropdown.

  10. Click the plus icon by ENUMDIST to add it to your cart.

  11. To find house value, click HOUSEHOLD and select ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS from the drop down. Click the plus icon by VALUEH to add it to your cart.

  12. To find education level, click PERSON and select EDUCATION. I think EDUC would the appropriate variable for you.

  13. To find income, click PERSON and select INCOME. Click the plus icon by INCWAGE to add to your cart.

  14. Next, click View Cart and then CREATE DATA EXTRACT.

  15. Now you’re ready to submit your extract. Click SUBMIT EXTRACT. By default, you will get a fixed-width text file and syntax files for loading the data into SAS, SPSS or Stata.