vitrine · US · room 4 of 13
The 1930s room
The composite family. Each room is a statistical composite, assembled from separate distributions with separate sources. The family at the median income did not also have the median house, the median car, and the median diet. No single family described here ever existed; each fact tells you, in its provenance drawer, which real population it was measured from.
Curator's route · 4 sourced exhibits
A modern room with missing books
What survives in the record when wages contract and household surveys fail us?
An editorial selection, not a synthetic family. Every stop opens the full specimen record.
1930: $0.55/hr, 42.1 hrs/wk, $23.00/wk | 1933: $0.44/hr, 38.1 hrs/wk, $…Manufacturing production worker wages, 1930 and 1933
A
Radio: ~40% of households (1930), ~80% by 1940. Automobile: ~26.7M regi…Radio and automobile, 1930s
A
47.8%Homeownership rate, 1930
A
no reliable record accessible onlineAffordability comparisons, 1930s
D
era-graded wash · absent technology isn't drawn · every glyph opens its record
Docent tours stopping in this room: The work that moved
The complete room
All six ledgers, including the curator's route above and the records around it. Value, tier, measured population, and source on every line.
The home
3 exhibits47.8%A
Homeownership rate, 1930observed record
% of occupied dwelling units (owner-occupied)
Population measuredAll U.S. occupied housing units (decennial census)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2000 · Tier A
Full record
Homeownership Rate by State: 1900 to 2000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Bureau decennial time series (owner.pdf). Up from 45.6% in 1920 — the 1920s boom had raised the rate. The Depression would drive it down to 43.6% by 1940 (foreclosures, ~1,000/day at peak). The Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC, 1933) and FHA (1934) were created to stabilize the housing market.
Source note: Time series of homeownership rates from 1900 to 2000 by state and nationally. 1950 national rate: 55.0%. 1940: 43.6%. 1960: 61.9%. Also see companion table: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/tables/time-series/census-housing-tables/ownerchar.pdf
Assumption: The composite family
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Bureau decennial time series (owner.pdf). Up from 45.6% in 1920 — the 1920s boom had raised the rate. The Depression would drive it down to 43.6% by 1940 (foreclosures, ~1,000/day at peak). The Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC, 1933) and FHA (1934) were created to stabilize the housing market.
Source note: Time series of homeownership rates from 1900 to 2000 by state and nationally. 1950 national rate: 55.0%. 1940: 43.6%. 1960: 61.9%. Also see companion table: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/tables/time-series/census-housing-tables/ownerchar.pdf
Assumption: The composite family
no reliable record accessible onlineD
Home value, rooms, plumbing, electricitydocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredAll US housing units and residents (decennial census)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier D
Full record
Census of Population and Housing — Decennial Publications
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No Census of Housing until 1940. The 1930s saw the beginning of rural electrification (REA, 1936): ~11% of farms had electricity in 1935, rising to ~25% by 1940. Indoor plumbing remained rare in rural areas. New Deal housing programs built greenbelt towns and public housing.
Source note: Historical Census publications. Census of Housing 1940 was first to ask about amenities (plumbing, electricity, radio, refrigerator). Census 1930 asked about radio ownership — first census technology-diffusion question. Census 1950/1960 asked about TV, telephone, automobile, refrigerator, washing machine.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No Census of Housing until 1940. The 1930s saw the beginning of rural electrification (REA, 1936): ~11% of farms had electricity in 1935, rising to ~25% by 1940. Indoor plumbing remained rare in rural areas. New Deal housing programs built greenbelt towns and public housing.
Source note: Historical Census publications. Census of Housing 1940 was first to ask about amenities (plumbing, electricity, radio, refrigerator). Census 1930 asked about radio ownership — first census technology-diffusion question. Census 1950/1960 asked about TV, telephone, automobile, refrigerator, washing machine.
23.7 in 1939, down from 31.2 in 1930A
Rent, 1939 (index, 1982-84=100)observed record
CPI-U rent-of-primary-residence index (1982-84=100), annual average
Population measuredDepends on series (CPI: all urban consumers; food prices: urban consumers)
Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A
Full record
BLS Public Data API v2
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: BLS series CUUR0000SEHA. Rent fell from 31.2 in 1930 to 21.4 in 1934-35, back to its 1913 level, and had recovered only to 23.7 by 1939. Shelter, the price that refused to fall in the 1920s, finally did — by 31%. Landlords cut rather than hold empty units, and the sticky line in the budget turned out to be sticky in both directions, just slower downward.
Source note: Direct API access to BLS time series. Used for: average food prices (APU series), CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), wage and hours data. API key registered. Food price series (APU) available from ~1970s onward — no 1950 data. Rate limit: 100 queries/day for registered users.
Assumption: The composite family
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: BLS series CUUR0000SEHA. Rent fell from 31.2 in 1930 to 21.4 in 1934-35, back to its 1913 level, and had recovered only to 23.7 by 1939. Shelter, the price that refused to fall in the 1920s, finally did — by 31%. Landlords cut rather than hold empty units, and the sticky line in the budget turned out to be sticky in both directions, just slower downward.
Source note: Direct API access to BLS time series. Used for: average food prices (APU series), CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), wage and hours data. API key registered. Food price series (APU) available from ~1970s onward — no 1950 data. Rate limit: 100 queries/day for registered users.
Assumption: The composite family
The budget
1 exhibitno reliable record accessible onlineD
Median family income, 1930sdocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredAll US families (two or more related persons), CPS money income
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier D
Full record
Historical Income Tables: Families
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No national family income survey before 1947. The 1940 Census asked about wage/salary income in 1939: median civilian wages of primary families was $1,389 (P-60 No. 1). Simon Kuznets produced retrospective national income estimates showing aggregate income fell ~47% from 1929 to 1932. Manufacturing wages: $0.55/hr in 1930, falling to $0.44/hr in 1933.
Source note: Landing page listing Tables F-1 through F-23. Continuously updated. Last revision Sep 2025 (2024 data).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No national family income survey before 1947. The 1940 Census asked about wage/salary income in 1939: median civilian wages of primary families was $1,389 (P-60 No. 1). Simon Kuznets produced retrospective national income estimates showing aggregate income fell ~47% from 1929 to 1932. Manufacturing wages: $0.55/hr in 1930, falling to $0.44/hr in 1933.
Source note: Landing page listing Tables F-1 through F-23. Continuously updated. Last revision Sep 2025 (2024 data).
The table
3 exhibitsno reliable record accessible onlineD
The food basket, 1930sdocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredUrban and rural families in 42 cities + 66 rural areas — broadest pre-war survey but NOT a national median
Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / NBER · 1939 · Tier D
Full record
Consumer Expenditures in the United States: Estimates for 1935-36 (Study of Consumer Purchases)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / NBER, 1939 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The BLS 1935-36 Consumer Purchases Survey collected detailed expenditure data, but it has not been transcribed into our data files. Wartime food controls and the 1935-36 survey bracket the decade. Food prices collapsed during the Depression (farm prices fell ~60% from 1929 to 1932).
Source note: Covered ~300,000 families. FRASER: 'Family Expenditures in Selected Cities, 1935-36' (Bulletin No. 648) at https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/family-expenditures-selected-cities-1935-36-4161. Digitized microdata: ICPSR 8908 (Tier B potential). NBER chapters use this data.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / NBER, 1939 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The BLS 1935-36 Consumer Purchases Survey collected detailed expenditure data, but it has not been transcribed into our data files. Wartime food controls and the 1935-36 survey bracket the decade. Food prices collapsed during the Depression (farm prices fell ~60% from 1929 to 1932).
Source note: Covered ~300,000 families. FRASER: 'Family Expenditures in Selected Cities, 1935-36' (Bulletin No. 648) at https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/family-expenditures-selected-cities-1935-36-4161. Digitized microdata: ICPSR 8908 (Tier B potential). NBER chapters use this data.
1,485 cigarettes per adult per yearA
Adult per capita cigarette consumption, 1930observed record
cigarettes per adult (≥18 years) per year
Population measuredU.S. adults ≥18 years (NHIS) and total U.S. cigarette consumption (USDA)
Source recordCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · 1994 · Tier A
Full record
Surveillance for Selected Tobacco-Use Behaviors -- United States, 1900-1994
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1994 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CDC MMWR Surveillance Summary Vol. 43 No. SS-3, Table 1. Consumption doubled from 665 in 1920 despite the Depression. By 1939 it reached 1,900. Total U.S. consumption was 119.3 billion cigarettes in 1930.
Source note: MMWR Surveillance Summary Vol. 43 No. SS-3. Table 1: per capita cigarette consumption 1900-1994 from USDA Economic Research Service (based on BATF tax data, imports, Census population). Table 2: adult smoking prevalence 1965-1991 from NHIS. Per capita = cigarettes per adult ≥18 per year.
Assumption: The composite family
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1994 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CDC MMWR Surveillance Summary Vol. 43 No. SS-3, Table 1. Consumption doubled from 665 in 1920 despite the Depression. By 1939 it reached 1,900. Total U.S. consumption was 119.3 billion cigarettes in 1930.
Source note: MMWR Surveillance Summary Vol. 43 No. SS-3. Table 1: per capita cigarette consumption 1900-1994 from USDA Economic Research Service (based on BATF tax data, imports, Census population). Table 2: adult smoking prevalence 1965-1991 from NHIS. Per capita = cigarettes per adult ≥18 per year.
Assumption: The composite family
11.8 in 1939, down from 16.5 in 1929A
Food prices, 1939 (index, 1982-84=100)observed record
CPI-U food index (1982-84=100), annual average
Population measuredDepends on series (CPI: all urban consumers; food prices: urban consumers)
Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A
Full record
BLS Public Data API v2
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: BLS series CUUR0000SAF1. Food fell from 16.5 in 1929 to a trough of 10.4 in 1933 — a 37% collapse that returned the price of eating to its 1913 level, twenty years erased — and recovered only to 11.8 by 1939. Cheaper food did not mean a better-fed family: incomes fell faster and unemployment reached roughly a quarter of the labour force, which is precisely why this room still declares an income gap. Deflation is not affordability.
Source note: Direct API access to BLS time series. Used for: average food prices (APU series), CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), wage and hours data. API key registered. Food price series (APU) available from ~1970s onward — no 1950 data. Rate limit: 100 queries/day for registered users.
Assumption: The composite family
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: BLS series CUUR0000SAF1. Food fell from 16.5 in 1929 to a trough of 10.4 in 1933 — a 37% collapse that returned the price of eating to its 1913 level, twenty years erased — and recovered only to 11.8 by 1939. Cheaper food did not mean a better-fed family: incomes fell faster and unemployment reached roughly a quarter of the labour force, which is precisely why this room still declares an income gap. Deflation is not affordability.
Source note: Direct API access to BLS time series. Used for: average food prices (APU series), CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), wage and hours data. API key registered. Food price series (APU) available from ~1970s onward — no 1950 data. Rate limit: 100 queries/day for registered users.
Assumption: The composite family
The day
7 exhibits59.1 male, 62.7 female (white)A
Life expectancy at birth, 1929-31observed record
years
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series B 116-117 (white population, at birth). Despite the Depression, life expectancy continued to rise: up from 56.3/58.5 in 1919-21. By 1939-41: 62.8 male, 67.3 female — the decade saw +3.7 male, +4.6 female years.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series B 116-117 (white population, at birth). Despite the Depression, life expectancy continued to rise: up from 56.3/58.5 in 1919-21. By 1939-41: 62.8 male, 67.3 female — the decade saw +3.7 male, +4.6 female years.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
1930: $0.55/hr, 42.1 hrs/wk, $23.00/wk | 1933: $0.44/hr, 38.1 hrs/wk, $16.65/wkA
Manufacturing production worker wages, 1930 and 1933observed record
USD, nominal (hourly earnings, weekly hours, weekly earnings)
Population measuredProduction workers in manufacturing (national average, payroll data)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics: Average Hourly Earnings of Manufacturing Production Workers (Series D 766, D 765-767, D 802-804)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Hourly rate
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 802-804. The anchor year is 1930 ($0.55/hr, 55 cents exact). The Depression crushed wages: hourly earnings fell 20% from 1930 to 1933 ($0.44/hr), and weekly hours fell from 42.1 to 38.1 (part-time work, layoffs). Recovery: by 1935: $0.54/hr, 36.6 hrs/wk, $19.91/wk. The NIRA (1933) established minimum wages and maximum hours.
Source note: Series D 766 (hourly earnings 1890-1914), D 765-767 (manufacturing production workers 1909-1929), D 802-804 (all manufacturing 1919-1948). Pre-FRED CES wage data. Used as the wage anchor for 1900s-1930s rooms (Plan 013). The population skews urban, industrial, male — see the manufacturing-wage-proxy assumption.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Manufacturing wages as the early-era worker proxy
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Hourly rate
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 802-804. The anchor year is 1930 ($0.55/hr, 55 cents exact). The Depression crushed wages: hourly earnings fell 20% from 1930 to 1933 ($0.44/hr), and weekly hours fell from 42.1 to 38.1 (part-time work, layoffs). Recovery: by 1935: $0.54/hr, 36.6 hrs/wk, $19.91/wk. The NIRA (1933) established minimum wages and maximum hours.
Source note: Series D 766 (hourly earnings 1890-1914), D 765-767 (manufacturing production workers 1909-1929), D 802-804 (all manufacturing 1919-1948). Pre-FRED CES wage data. Used as the wage anchor for 1900s-1930s rooms (Plan 013). The population skews urban, industrial, male — see the manufacturing-wage-proxy assumption.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Manufacturing wages as the early-era worker proxy
43.2C
Women's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1930observed record
hours per week, prime-age women (ages 18–64)
Population measuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates
Source recordCambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History) · 2009 · Tier C
Full record
Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 6A, 'All Prime-Age Women' column. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS surveys from 1965. Includes food prep, house cleaning, clothing care, childcare, purchasing, and household management. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated. Draft version (NBER w13985) has identical values. Splice caveat: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS (2020s room) measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept change that must caveat when plotted together.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 6A, 'All Prime-Age Women' column. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS surveys from 1965. Includes food prep, house cleaning, clothing care, childcare, purchasing, and household management. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated. Draft version (NBER w13985) has identical values. Splice caveat: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS (2020s room) measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept change that must caveat when plotted together.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
6.0C
Men's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 1930observed record
hours per week, prime-age men (ages 18–64)
Population measuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates
Source recordCambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History) · 2009 · Tier C
Full record
Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 7, 'All Prime-Age Men' column. Early estimates from Purnell Act studies and Lundberg et al. (1934); 1965+ from AHTUS/BLS. Men's hours rose 13 hrs/week across the century (3.9→16.8), partially offsetting women's decline. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 · source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Ramey (2009) Table 7, 'All Prime-Age Men' column. Early estimates from Purnell Act studies and Lundberg et al. (1934); 1965+ from AHTUS/BLS. Men's hours rose 13 hrs/week across the century (3.9→16.8), partially offsetting women's decline. Numbers in italics in source = partially extrapolated.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
~11.7%A
Married women's labor force participation, 1930observed record
% of married women (husband present) in the civilian labor force
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 49-62. Total female LFPR was 24.3%. The Depression saw married women working more — sometimes by necessity, as male unemployment pushed families to find additional income. 'Fire the women' campaigns sought to push married women out of the workforce to free jobs for men.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Assumption: The composite family
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 1, Series D 49-62. Total female LFPR was 24.3%. The Depression saw married women working more — sometimes by necessity, as male unemployment pushed families to find additional income. 'Fire the women' campaigns sought to push married women out of the workforce to free jobs for men.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Assumption: The composite family
Men: 24.3, Women: 21.3A
Median age at first marriage, 1930observed record
years (median age at first marriage)
Population measuredU.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population (CPS/decennial census)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2023 · Tier A
Full record
Census Historical Table MS-2: Median Age at First Marriage
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Table MS-2. Decennial census. Marriage ages held steady through the Depression — men at 24.3, women at 21.3. Economic hardship delayed some marriages but the median barely moved.
Source note: Table MS-2: Median age at first marriage by sex, 1890 to present. Decennial census data 1890-2000; CPS data for intervening years and 2010+. File: ms2-median-age-first-marriage.xls. The median age at first marriage declined from ~26 (men) / ~22 (women) in 1890 to a mid-century low of ~22.5 / 20.3 in 1956, then rose steadily to ~30+ / ~28+ by 2023.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Table MS-2. Decennial census. Marriage ages held steady through the Depression — men at 24.3, women at 21.3. Economic hardship delayed some marriages but the median barely moved.
Source note: Table MS-2: Median age at first marriage by sex, 1890 to present. Decennial census data 1890-2000; CPS data for intervening years and 2010+. File: ms2-median-age-first-marriage.xls. The median age at first marriage declined from ~26 (men) / ~22 (women) in 1890 to a mid-century low of ~22.5 / 20.3 in 1956, then rose steadily to ~30+ / ~28+ by 2023.
$341 billionD
Nonfarm household net worth, 1939observed record
aggregate net worth of nonfarm household sector, current dollars
Population measuredU.S. nonfarm household sector (aggregate, Goldsmith reconstruction)
Source recordNational Bureau of Economic Research / Princeton University Press · 1963 · Tier D
Full record
Studies in the National Balance Sheet of the United States, Vol. I
National Bureau of Economic Research / Princeton University Press, 1963 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: From Goldsmith, Lipsey & Mendelson (1963), Table 1, Sector I.1 (Nonfarm households). Total assets: $371B. Tangible assets: $145B. Financial assets: $232B. Debt: $30B. Net worth: $341B. The Depression destroyed ~$65B of household wealth (from $406B in 1929). Financial assets fell from $291B to $232B as stock values collapsed. Debt was actually reduced — from $42B to $30B — as households deleveraged. Aggregate — NOT median.
Source note: Table 1: Main Balance Sheet Components by Sector, 1900-1958. Benchmark years: 1900, 1912, 1922, 1929, 1939, 1945, 1958. Sector I.1 = Nonfarm households. Provides total assets, tangible assets, financial assets, debt, and net worth in current dollars. Goldsmith's balance sheet construction uses Census wealth data, Federal Reserve flow of funds, and tax return compilations. Aggregate household sector, NOT median. Tier D (scholarly reconstruction). Downloaded as NBER chapter c3926.
National Bureau of Economic Research / Princeton University Press, 1963 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: From Goldsmith, Lipsey & Mendelson (1963), Table 1, Sector I.1 (Nonfarm households). Total assets: $371B. Tangible assets: $145B. Financial assets: $232B. Debt: $30B. Net worth: $341B. The Depression destroyed ~$65B of household wealth (from $406B in 1929). Financial assets fell from $291B to $232B as stock values collapsed. Debt was actually reduced — from $42B to $30B — as households deleveraged. Aggregate — NOT median.
Source note: Table 1: Main Balance Sheet Components by Sector, 1900-1958. Benchmark years: 1900, 1912, 1922, 1929, 1939, 1945, 1958. Sector I.1 = Nonfarm households. Provides total assets, tangible assets, financial assets, debt, and net worth in current dollars. Goldsmith's balance sheet construction uses Census wealth data, Federal Reserve flow of funds, and tax return compilations. Aggregate household sector, NOT median. Tier D (scholarly reconstruction). Downloaded as NBER chapter c3926.
What had arrived
2 exhibits~41 per 1,000 population (1935)A
Telephone diffusion, 1930sobserved record
telephones per 1,000 population
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2, Series R 1-2. In 1935: ~41 per 1,000 population (~16.2 million total phones). Telephone growth slowed during the Depression as households cut discretionary spending. By 1940: ~47 per 1,000. Household percentage not directly reported until 1944.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2, Series R 1-2. In 1935: ~41 per 1,000 population (~16.2 million total phones). Telephone growth slowed during the Depression as households cut discretionary spending. By 1940: ~47 per 1,000. Household percentage not directly reported until 1944.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Radio: ~40% of households (1930), ~80% by 1940. Automobile: ~26.7M registrations (1930).A
Radio and automobile, 1930sobserved record
n/a
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2. Radio was the dominant new technology of the era — FDR's fireside chats (1933- ) reached millions. Automobile registrations stagnated during the Depression (new car sales fell 75% from 1929 to 1932) but the installed base remained high.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Historical Statistics Vol 2. Radio was the dominant new technology of the era — FDR's fireside chats (1933- ) reached millions. Automobile registrations stagnated during the Depression (new car sales fell 75% from 1929 to 1932) but the installed base remained high.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
A day's work buys
2 exhibitsno reliable record accessible onlineD
Affordability comparisons, 1930sdocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier D
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: Without a median family income figure, affordability comparisons cannot be computed. The Depression makes the 1930s unusual: deflation meant nominal prices fell, but incomes fell faster. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: Without a median family income figure, affordability comparisons cannot be computed. The Depression makes the 1930s unusual: deflation meant nominal prices fell, but incomes fell faster. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
~$590 (average wholesale, computed from factory sales)A
Average new car price, 1930observed record
USD, nominal (wholesale value per passenger car)
Population measuredVarious national aggregates (depends on table)
Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 1975 · Tier A
Full record
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition)
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: One-time price
Affordability anchors: Production workers in manufacturing (national average, payroll data)
Denominators measure: hours axis: average hourly earnings
Curator note: Computed from Historical Statistics, Series Q 148-162. 1930: 2,787,400 passenger cars sold at $1,644 million wholesale value = ~$590 average per car. The Depression crashed car sales — production fell from 4.5M (1929) to 2.8M (1930). Wholesale value; retail/transaction price would be higher. Population: all US factory sales of passenger cars.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
U.S. Census Bureau, 1975 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: One-time price
Affordability anchors: Production workers in manufacturing (national average, payroll data)
Denominators measure: hours axis: average hourly earnings
Curator note: Computed from Historical Statistics, Series Q 148-162. 1930: 2,787,400 passenger cars sold at $1,644 million wholesale value = ~$590 average per car. The Depression crashed car sales — production fell from 4.5M (1929) to 2.8M (1930). Wholesale value; retail/transaction price would be higher. Population: all US factory sales of passenger cars.
Source note: Free on Internet Archive. Contains population, labor, prices, housing, and diffusion series spanning colonial times to 1970. Essential for pre-1940 decades where no dedicated survey exists. Predecessor to the Millennial Edition.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Computed affordability
≈ 1,073 hours of work
Confidence & flags
A — official statistical series
B — official microdata, computed by this project
C — reconstructed from period surveys
D — scholarly estimate
Gap — no reliable record; shown as the gap it is
Reading the atlas
Provenance is in the scan-line: every exhibit's row names its value, confidence tier, the population actually measured, and the source record. Chart points and stage glyphs open the same record.
Rising series draw in petrol, falling in ember. Absent technology isn't drawn — a bare house says more than ghosts.