1940‐2010: How Has America Changed?

Census Bureau has compiled all kinds of factoids about the country, then and now. Keep in mind that the U.S. was just coming out of the Great Depression in 1940 - and was only a few years from entering World War II. Some snippets:

POPULATION
1940 Population 132.2 million
2010 Population 308.7 million

1940 California population: 6.9 million
2010 California population: 37.2 million

RACE
1940
89.8% White
9.8% Black
0.4% Other

2010
72.4% White Alone
12.6% Black or African American alone
4.8% Asian Alone
0.9% American Indian & Alaskan Native alone
0.2% Some Other Race Alone
2.9% Two or More Races
Population by Hispanic or Latino Origin
16.3% Hispanic of Latino
83.7% Not Hispanic or Latino

EDUCATION
1940
5% of population with Bachelors Degree
5.5% of Males 25+who are college grads
3.8% of Females 25+ who are college grads
2010
28% of Population with Bachelors Degree
28.5% of Males 25+ who are college grads
27.9% of Females 25+ who are college grads

EARNINGS
1940 $956 Median Income for Men
2010 $33,276 Median Income for Men
1940 $592 Median Income for Women`
2010 $24,157 Median Income for Women

1940 Women earned 62 cents for each dollar a man earned
2010 Women earned 74 cents for each dollar a man earned

TOP INDUSTRIES
1940
23.4% Manufacturing
18.5% Agriculture
14.0% Retail Trade
8.9% Personal Services
7.4% Professional & Related Services

2010
23.2% Educational services, health care & social assistance
11.7% Retail Trade
10.6% Professional, scientific, management & administrative services, waste management services
10.4% Manufacturing
6.2% Construction

HOUSING
1940
$30.83 Average monthly rent, urban
$18.35, Average monthly rent, rural, non‐farm
78.9% had an outside toilet, rural‐farm
17.7% had running water, rural‐farm
31.3% had electric light, rural‐farm

2010
$855 Median monthly rent and utilities
$1496 Median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners
99.4% had complete plumbing
97.5% had telephone service
57.1% had two or more vehicles