When the 1950 US Census is released in April, it will have detailed information on a surprisingly large sample of the population.
One in five sampled
If I'm lucky, my ancestors will be among the 20% of people sampled, which meant they answered additional questions about 1949 full-year income and more.
My deep dive into the reported statistics about each state will give me good context for interpreting my ancestors' answers. (You can see each state's reported statistics in the publications at HathiTrust. There are so many fascinating tables of statistics, income and much more, on a state-by-state basis.)
Apples-to-apples comparison
As shown in the excerpt above, the median income for urban areas of New York state was $3,123*, higher than the median for the state overall. I would expect my Big Apple ancestors and other city-dwellers to report higher incomes than any who lived in rural areas. Common sense, but seeing the statistics in the official reports gives me a sense of how much people might have earned at that time, so I can compare with my father's income.
In later life, when my mother occasionally talked about those post-war years, she said my father's travel agency was doing well. I won't know how well unless they were among the 20% of the population who answered those sample questions in the 1950 Census.
Yes, I already have their Enumeration District listed so I can browse for them as soon as the Census is released in April.
*The 2021 equivalent of $3,123 in income would be more than $33,000.
I hope I'm lucky with a few ancestors, as well.
ReplyDelete