1930 Census

Updated August 8, 2012

Part 2: Indexes and Other Finding Aids

1930 Census Main page

• Microfilmed Soundex Indexes
• Geographic Descriptions of Census Enumeration Districts
• Enumeration District Maps
• Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts
• 1930 City Directories Available at NARA

Enumeration District Maps

Enumeration district (ED) maps for the 1930 census have been reproduced in two NARA microfilm publications:

M1930, Enumeration district maps for the Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930 (36 rolls), 35mm color microfilm, is $135 per roll ordered ($145 to foreign addresses), and can be shipped upon completion of your order. Credit card orders are accepted at 1-866-272-6272. These maps number some 8,345 separate sheets.

A3378, Enumeration District Maps for the Twelfth through Sixteenth Censuses of the United States, 1900-1940 (73 rolls), 35mm black-and-white microfilm, is $125 per roll ordered ($135 to foreign addresses), and can be shipped upon completion of your order. Credit card orders are accepted at 1-866-272-6272.

See How to Order Publications to purchase one or more rolls of this microfilm publication.

Microfilm publications M1930 and A3378 are available for researchers at National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20408-0001, and at NARA's regional facilities nationwide.

Please see our current fee schedule

Background. An enumeration district, as used by the Bureau of the Census, was an area that could be covered by a single enumerator (census taker) in one census period (2-4 weeks for the 1930 census). Enumeration districts varied in size from several city blocks in densely populated urban areas to an entire county in sparsely populated rural areas.

Enumeration district maps show the boundaries and the numbers of the census enumeration districts, which were established to help administer and control data collection. Wards, precincts, incorporated areas, urban unincorporated areas, townships, census supervisors` districts, and congressional districts may also appear on some maps. The content of enumeration district maps vary greatly. The base maps were obtained locally and include postal route maps, General Land Office maps, soil survey maps, and maps produced by city, county, and state government offices as well as commercial printers. Census officials then drew the enumeration district boundaries and numbers on these base maps.

Records Description, Arrangement, and Filming Conventions. Two types of enumeration district maps were used for the Fifteenth Census: county maps and maps of minor civil divisions, such as cities, towns, villages, precincts, and townships. The basic enumeration district map is the county map. As noted above the base maps vary from state to state and even among counties in the same state, so there is little uniformity in map scale, size, or sheet numbers. The unifying feature of this series of maps is the annotations added by the Bureau of the Census. These annotations include the boundaries and numbers of individual enumeration districts, usually added in an orange grease or wax pencil; the range of enumeration district numbers for that county (e.g., 17-1 to 17-24); and a table of enumeration district numbers used for specific institutions, such as hospitals, asylums, jails, schools, sanitariums, and convents; and a listing of any supplementary maps of minor civil divisions in that county.

The base maps used for the minor civil divisions are even more varied than those used for the county maps. Ward maps are common for some large cities, but for smaller urban places there is little uniformity in map scale, size, or sheet numbers. Sketch maps are not uncommon among the minor civil division maps; and minor civil division maps were used when a populated place spread over one or more county lines. Again, the unifying feature of this series is the annotations added by the Bureau of the Census. The annotations on the minor civil division maps are similar to those used on the county maps described above. As with the county maps, any printed numbers on the enumeration district maps refer not to the enumeration districts, but to the wards, precincts, districts, or other areas that were the subjects of the base maps. Enumeration district numbers are handwritten in color, and the boundary lines are added in color.

In Microfilm Publication M1930, the enumeration district maps were filmed in the order in which they are arranged: alphabetically by state, thereunder alphabetically by county, and thereunder alphabetically by minor civil division if such maps were used for that county. Maps of territories follow the maps of states. Because of this file arrangement and the lack of uniformity in this series of maps, a List of Maps was prepared to assist the user. The complete List of Maps is found as an appendix and at the beginning of roll 1, and the relevant part of the list was filmed at the beginning of each roll. There are some 8,345 enumeration district map sheets associated with the 1930 census, and all extant maps were filmed for this publication. Some maps in this large body of records were filmed out of order. These exceptions to the hierarchical, alphabetical order are noted in the List of Maps. The maps are listed in the order in which they appear on the film even if it is not strict alphabetical order. Other maps were not filmed until after the initial photography was completed. These maps are listed with an asterisk (*) in the List of Maps and appear at the end of their respective states.

The large-format maps were photographed in multiple images to provide more detail to the user. Large maps were photographed once overall or once centered on the map title area, usually followed by four overlapping shots moving in sequence from the upper left corner (northwest) to the upper right corner (northeast) to the lower left corner (southwest) to the lower right corner (southeast). The largest maps were photographed in six, nine, or more detailed overlapping shots from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. Small-format maps were photographed in a single image. Some maps were photographed twice at different camera settings to maximize legibility. In some cases there are two or more enumeration district maps for a jurisdiction, and in these cases all maps were included.

In Microfilm Publication A3378, the enumeration district maps are arranged alphabetically by state, then by county, then by census year, and then by local jurisdiction. There are gaps in coverage. Although most counties are included, not all census years may be represented. Coverage is more complete for the 1930 and 1940 censuses than for earlier years. Larger maps were filmed two or more times, each image being a portion of the entire map. Smaller maps were photographed as a single image.

1930 Census Main page