Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-06
80 PER CENT Of j. S.
P0PULACE LIVES IN
FARM COMMUNITIES
I31,614,269 Persons in Rural
Districts, Says Census
Report for 1920.

Washington.-The department of
commerce that, according to
the fourteenth decennial census, the
farm population of the United States
on Jan. 1, 1920, was 31,614,269, or
800 per cent of the total population
of the country on that date. Of this
number, 31,338,64O were enumerated
in rural territory and 255,629 on farms
located within the limits of cities and
other incorporated places having $500
inhabitants or more. 1t may be noted
in this connection~that the census defi-
milton of a farm extends somewhat be-
yond the ordinary meaning OF the term
in that it includes any fruit or mar
ket garden, poultry yard. dairy, or
apiary which either yielded $3.50 worth
OF products in 1919 or required for its
operation the continuous services OF at
least one person during that year. The
farm population comprises both farm
operators and farm laborers and their
families, including farm laborers ana
their families not actually living on
farms but not living in incorporated
places. ,
Since the rural population as defined
in the census includes incorporated cit
les and villages having fewer n 2;ooo
inhabitants. unincorporated hamlets,
mining regions. and other areas not de-
voted TO agriculture. it is not surprIs-
ing TO find that only 81 per cent of the
total rural population as thus defIned
is farm population. and that While
nearly one-half of the inhabitants of
the United States are rural RESIDENTS,
only about three-tenths are living on
farms.
Tbe census of 1920 was the first at
which the population living on farms
was tabulated separately from the rural
Ipopulation as a whole, and therefore no
comparative figures for earlier cen
suses can be given.
The proportion which the farm pop
ulation formed of the tital in the indi-
vidual states ranged from Il per cent
in Mississippi 70 2.5 per cent in Rhode
Island. In IL states-Mississippl, Ar
kansas. South Carolina. North Dakota,
North Carolina. Georgia, Alabama,
South Dakota. Tennessee. Kentucky
and Oklahoma-the population living on
farms constituted more than half the
total. On the other hand. in Is states
Rhode Island. Massachusetts,. New
Jersey, Connecticut. New York. Penn
s~vlvania. California. Illinois. New
HAMPSHIRE. MARYLAND. Ohio. Nevada.
Washington. Delaware and Michigan
the farm population formed les sthan
one fourth of the total. In general. the
! smallest proportions of farm popula-
ton are found in the northeastern
states-that is, the states lying north
of the Ohio and Potomac rivers and
east of the Mississippi-and in the
Pacific coast states.
The percentage which the farm pop
ulaticn formed of the entire rural Pop
| ulation of the several states in . :
also shows a wide range. from POI IN
New Jersey to SIS in Mississippi. In
10 states-New Jersey. Connecticut.
Nevade. PENNSYLVANIA. Massachusetts,
Rhode Island. New Hampshire. Maine.
Arizona. West Virginia. New York. Cal.
lifornia. Florida. Washington. Maryland
and W~yoming-the farm population
constituted less than half the total
rural population.
In actual numbers. the largest farm
population for any state. 2,21l.II3, was
reported for Texas. The smallest. 10
1876. is shown for Rhode Island. IN
which state the proportion which the
farm population formed of the total
o:5 per cent, is also the smallest shown
for any state. In Il states-Texas,
Georgia. North Carolina. Alabama
Kentucky. Tennessee. Mississippi. Mis-
souri,. Arkansas. Ohio, Illinois, South
Carolina, Virginia and Oklahoma-the
farm population in 1920 numbered more
than a million; but neither New York
nor PENNSYLVANIA. which outrank all
other states in total population. ap-
Dear in thiS LIST.