Countdown to the 1940 Census: Population Explosion!

With just four weeks to go until the release of the 1940 US Census, I thought it might be fun to look at a comparison of population statistics for Southern California for 1940 and 2010..

In 1940, California was the fifth largest state with just over 6.9 million residents; by 2010, the population of 37,253,956. That’s over a 500% increase in 70 years! Los Angeles County alone now has a larger population than some states.

In 1940, there were 44.3 people per square mile in California; it 2010, that number rose to a whopping 239.1 people per square mile. But California still ranks only #13 in population density. Density is much higher in the eastern states.

Los Angeles ranked as the 2^nd largest city in 2010, but it had not even ranked in the top ten U.S. cities until 1920. In 1940, it was the 5^th largest city. Another Southern California city—San Diego—ranked in the top ten in 2010, as the 8^th largest city in the country!

Here’s a comparison of our Southern California population, by county, in 1940 and in 2010:

County	1940 Population	2010 Population	% Increase
Imperial	59,740	174,528	292
Kern	135,124	839,631	621
Los Angeles	2,785,643	9,818,605	352
Orange	130,760	3,010,232	2,302
Riverside	105,524	2,189,641	2,075
San Bernardino	161,108	2,035,210	1,263
San Diego	289,348	3,095,313	1,070
San Luis Obispo	33,246	269,637	811
Santa Barbara	70,555	423,895	601
Ventura	69,685	823,318	1,181

The populations of some counties are still relatively small, but most now boast millions of residents!  Did your parents or grandparents live in Southern California when the 1940 US Census was taken? What do (or did) they think of the population growth that has taken place?

  

Note: In preparing this post, I found an interactive graphic posted by msnbc.com that will let you look at changes in state populations and population density from 1910 to 2010. It’s interesting to play around with.

 © 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research