Iowa 1940s Census Snapshot Shows Shifts in Jobs and Family Size
Iowa households in the 1940s reflect rising education and workforce participation. Median school years for those over 25 rose from 8.9 in 1940 to 9.8 by 1950. The 1950 household average was 3.25 people with Cedar Rapids families at 3433 dollars and Iowa City at 3245. Employed persons grew from 861,681 in 1940 to 1,002,180 in 1950, with women’s labor force participation increasing. Farm employment for men declined from 29.5 to 26 percent. clerical roles rose for women from 21.2 to 25.7 percent. County and city populations also expanded between 1940 and 1950.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Cedar Rapids
Iowa City
Linn County
Johnson County
Family Crafts Survival Through Wartime Rationing
Mary Santee of Cedar Rapids recounts wartime rationing from sugar to coffee and meat. She notes red stamp meat purchases, a victory garden, gas canning at five cents a can, and extra sugar for canning fruit, plus bus trips to parks and affordable meals at the Butterfly Cafe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary Santee
Cedar Rapids
Third Street
Fourth Avenue SE
Butterfly Cafe
Small Cape Cod Home Reflects War Era Cedar Rapids Life
Nova Daniels recalls her Cedar Rapids home built 1939 40 by Richard on Wilson Avenue SW paid about 900 dollars. During World War II rationing and low pay shaped daily life with essential work and frugal purchases. The couple moved the house in 1943 bought land, war economy, and returned after Richards Navy service ending 1945.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ann Scholl
Boyer
Nova Daniels
Cape Cod
Cedar Rapids
Nova
Swisher
Wilson Avenue
Richard Daniels
Belle Plaine
Highway 30
Daniels
Richard
Wilson & Co
Danielses
Wilson's
Bohemian Savings and Loan
29Th Street
Wilson’s
Pine Inn
16Th Avenue
Navy
California
Jacqueline
Wartime shopping boosts brisk season amid looming shortages
Christmas buying remained sturdy as war cut domestic supplies. Prices show strong demand for electric gifts and household items. The wartime guide Toys in Wartime inspired salvage toy making from everyday scraps. SMU hosts a World War II digital library with 200 documents for free access.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearl Harbor
Europe
Philco
Hall-Ekfelt
Fondren
Southern Methodist University
Dallas
SMU
Edu
Also Mentioned on This Page
Library of Congress
Fillmore School
Roosevelt Hill
Ellis and Bever Parks
Rapids
Killian’s
Armstrong’s
Ford-Hopkins
U.S. Department of Labor
The
Declaration of the United Nations
Allied Nations
United States
Berlin
Edwin Rommel
el Agheila
Great Britain
U.S
Singapore
USS
Yorktown
Enterprise
Gilbert and
Marshall Islands
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!