Contact Information
Wayne Shoaf
shoaf@usc.edu
(213) 740 4090
Location
DML Second Floor
and Online
Overview
The collection of Works Progress Administration Los Angeles Household Census Cards dates from 1939. The physical cards, which number nearly half a million items, are owned by USC's Information Services, Regional History Collection. More than a quarter of the collection has been digitized. The household survey cards (or "dwelling schedules"), one for each street address in greater Los Angeles, document a wide variety of information ranging from the type of dwelling, the value of the property and the monthly rent or mortgage, to whether or not there were flush toilets. While these cards form the bulk of the collection, other digitized documents include "block face cards" and "block lists" documenting the census process as well as employee records that provide a fascinating view of the background and skills of the census takers themselves. Naturally, in this city of the car, the employee records include whether or not the employee owned an automobile.
For more information, visit the collection overview.