Rural Level of Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1940

Excerpt from the report: The planning of agricultural programs calls for recognition of the wide differences within the country - differences in levels of living as well as differences in agricultural resources and in types of farming. To meet the needs of agencies concerned with differences in levels of living of rural people, several indexes of level of living were developed during the last decade. These indexes were an attempt to indicate in some simple form the relative level of living in each county of the United States for families on farms, as well as for other rural families not living on farms. They have combined into one composite measure data provided by the 1930 Census on various items which represent goods, services, or other sorts of satisfactions available to rural families. These indexes have served to indicate areas where programs for adjustment of population to agricultural resources are needed. They have afforded a means of investigating the relationship of level of living not only to type of farming and physical resources, but also to population characteristics such as migration, fertility, and mortality. To provide a more current measure of this important component of rural welfare for wartime and post-war planning, as well as for scientific analyses, data from the 1940 Censuses of Population, Housing, and Agriculture have been combined into an index of average level of living for the rural-farm families of each county of the United States and into a similar index for the rural-nonfarm families

Rural Level of Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1940

Excerpt from the report: The planning of agricultural programs calls for recognition of the wide differences within the country - differences in levels of living as well as differences in agricultural resources and in types of farming. To meet the needs of agencies concerned with differences in levels of living of rural people, several indexes of level of living were developed during the last decade. These indexes were an attempt to indicate in some simple form the relative level of living in each county of the United States for families on farms, as well as for other rural families not living on farms. They have combined into one composite measure data provided by the 1930 Census on various items which represent goods, services, or other sorts of satisfactions available to rural families. These indexes have served to indicate areas where programs for adjustment of population to agricultural resources are needed. They have afforded a means of investigating the relationship of level of living not only to type of farming and physical resources, but also to population characteristics such as migration, fertility, and mortality. To provide a more current measure of this important component of rural welfare for wartime and post-war planning, as well as for scientific analyses, data from the 1940 Censuses of Population, Housing, and Agriculture have been combined into an index of average level of living for the rural-farm families of each county of the United States and into a similar index for the rural-nonfarm families

Farm Operator Family Level of Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1940 and 1945

Excerpts from the report: During World War II, United States farmers generally became more prosperous. Because of record production and good prices, the average net income of farm operators rose from $768 in 1940 to$2,251 in 1945. In order to the extent to which the increase in income resulted in improved living conditions, indexes of farm operator family level of living by county have been constructed from 1940 and 1945 Censuses of Agriculture figures. The indexes show that in 1945 the level of living of farm operator families in the United States was one-fourth above 1940. The items on which the indexes of farm operator of living are based include: (1) the percentage of farms with electricity in the farm dwelling; (2) the percentage of farms with telephone in farm dwelling; (3) the percentage of farms with automobiles; and (4) the average value of products sold or traded in the previous year per farm reporting (adjusted for changes in purchasing power)

Farm Operator Family Level of Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1940 and 1945

Excerpts from the report: During World War II, United States farmers generally became more prosperous. Because of record production and good prices, the average net income of farm operators rose from $768 in 1940 to$2,251 in 1945. In order to the extent to which the increase in income resulted in improved living conditions, indexes of farm operator family level of living by county have been constructed from 1940 and 1945 Censuses of Agriculture figures. The indexes show that in 1945 the level of living of farm operator families in the United States was one-fourth above 1940. The items on which the indexes of farm operator of living are based include: (1) the percentage of farms with electricity in the farm dwelling; (2) the percentage of farms with telephone in farm dwelling; (3) the percentage of farms with automobiles; and (4) the average value of products sold or traded in the previous year per farm reporting (adjusted for changes in purchasing power)

Farm Population Adjustments Following the End of the War

Excerpt from the report: Current reports made during the last 4 months of 1945 on a national sample of 71 counties indicated that a substantial return migration to farms started in many parts of the country after Japan was defeated. The most important and most widespread change in the farm population which took place after the end of the war was the return of demobilized veterans. A fourth to a half of the boys and men who had entered the armed forces from these counties had returned home by Christmas. Former migrants to war industry and other urban employment were also reported to be returning to rural areas in several of the counties studied because of cut-backs and lay-offs in war manufactures. The end of the war also brought an end to many of the nonfarm jobs to which part-time farmers and members of their families had been commuting

Farm-Operator Family Level-of-Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1930, 1940, 1945, and 1950

Excerpts from the report: In 1950, the average level of living of farm-operator families in the United States was 22 percent above the level in 1945, according to county indexes compiled by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. With 1945 used as a base of 100, the average county in the United States had an index of 75 in 1930, of 79 in 1940, and of 122 in 1950. Between 1940 and 1950, the increase in this measure of level of living of farm-operator families was 54 percent. County data from the last Census of Agriculture have been used to construct indexes for 1950, and similar data were used from an earlier census to compute indexes for 1930 that have not previously been published. The items on which these farm-operator family level-of-living indexes are based are the following: (1) Percentage of farms with electricity; (2) percentage of farms with telephones; (3) percentage of farms with automobiles; and (4) average value of products sold or traded in the year preceding the census (adjusted for changes in purchasing power of the farmer's dollar). Data on these items from the Censuses of Agriculture were combined into indexes by methods explained in the Appendix of this report

Farm Population Adjustments Following the End of the War

Excerpt from the report: Current reports made during the last 4 months of 1945 on a national sample of 71 counties indicated that a substantial return migration to farms started in many parts of the country after Japan was defeated. The most important and most widespread change in the farm population which took place after the end of the war was the return of demobilized veterans. A fourth to a half of the boys and men who had entered the armed forces from these counties had returned home by Christmas. Former migrants to war industry and other urban employment were also reported to be returning to rural areas in several of the counties studied because of cut-backs and lay-offs in war manufactures. The end of the war also brought an end to many of the nonfarm jobs to which part-time farmers and members of their families had been commuting

Farm-Operator Family Level-of-Living Indexes for Counties of the United States, 1930, 1940, 1945, and 1950

Excerpts from the report: In 1950, the average level of living of farm-operator families in the United States was 22 percent above the level in 1945, according to county indexes compiled by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. With 1945 used as a base of 100, the average county in the United States had an index of 75 in 1930, of 79 in 1940, and of 122 in 1950. Between 1940 and 1950, the increase in this measure of level of living of farm-operator families was 54 percent. County data from the last Census of Agriculture have been used to construct indexes for 1950, and similar data were used from an earlier census to compute indexes for 1930 that have not previously been published. The items on which these farm-operator family level-of-living indexes are based are the following: (1) Percentage of farms with electricity; (2) percentage of farms with telephones; (3) percentage of farms with automobiles; and (4) average value of products sold or traded in the year preceding the census (adjusted for changes in purchasing power of the farmer's dollar). Data on these items from the Censuses of Agriculture were combined into indexes by methods explained in the Appendix of this report