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The 1940 census records give us a snapshot of America during that important time as the nation was recovering from the Great Depression and before entry into World War II. Because census records are closed for 72 years, April 2, 2012 is the first time these valuable records have been available to the public.

Archives.com has partnered with the U.S. National Archives to make the 1940 Census available for free online. The images are available at 1940census.archives.gov.

"Archives.com is becoming part of history by assuming
this crucial role in the release of the 1940 census records."
--Megan Smolenyak²

Find your family in the census

The U.S. National Archives and Archives.com released the 1940 census images online at 1940census.archives.gov beginning 9:00 AM Eastern April 2, 2012.

Researchers are able to search for census images by location or enumeration district (ED). Users can utilize maps, enumeration descriptions, and other tools to find their family.

What will you discover?

Questions asked in the 1940 census include name, age, relationship to the head of household, birthplace, and education, residence in 1935, employment status, and wages. Also about 5% of people were asked an additional set of questions, including parents' birthplace, veteran status, occupation, and more.