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WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
DIVISION OF S_QCIAL RESEARCM

TME TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED
A Description and Analysis

oJ the

Transient RelieJ Population
BY

JOMN N. WEBB

RESEARCM MON06RAPM

m
YASMIN8TON

._,

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WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION

MARRY

CORRIN6TON 61LL
A11i.,ant Adminittrafor

MOPKINS, Adminmralor

MOYARD 8. MYERS, DirKtor
Soda! R•HGrch Oiouion

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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

VORIS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
Washingtoa, D.C., March 10, 1936

Sir:
I have the hoaor to transai t herewith a report dealing with
probleas of the transient unemployed as faced by the Transient
Division of the Federal &iergency Relief Administration for the
period begianing with the establishment of that Division and
continuiae throueh June_ 1935.
This report brings together the results of a series of
studies conducted in the Division of Research, Statistics and
Finance of the Federal Baergency Relief Administration, and
Presents aa exhaustive analysis of the characteristics of the
transient relief population, their movements, their reasons
for ■ieratioa, and the problems involved in the reabsorption
ot this eroup into private industrial employment.
This report was prepared by John N. Nebb, under the superVision of Benr11 B. Arthur, Assistant Director, and the general
directioa of Bo'1Jard B. 1t11ers, Director, of the Division of
Social Research, Works Proeress Adainistration.
Acknowledge•eat is ■ade of the assistance rendered by many other indiVidual.s and depart■ents who cooperated or contributed in the
11110rt of preparine this report.
OORRINGTON GILL

Asststant Adlltntstrator
Boa. HARRY L. HOPKINS
IJor~s Proiress Adlltntstrator

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CONTENTS
Page.
ResUDle ..•...••..••..•.•................................
Introduction .......................................... .
Chapter
I. The Origin of the Transient Relief Pro~rc111
The Size of the Transient Population Estimated ........................... .
The Size of the Transient Population Registrations for Relief ............ .
Chapter II. The Personal Characteristics of the Transient Relief Population................
Age....................................
Sex....................................
Color and Nativity.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marital Status....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sex and Marital Status...............
Age and Marital Status...............
Color and Nativity and Marital Status
Size of Transient Family Groups........
Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Color and Nativity and Education.....
Age and Education....................
Chapter III. Occupational Characteristics.............
F.mployment Status......................
'1brk History...........................
Occupational Groups....................
Usual Occupations......................
Age and Occupational Characteristics
Duration of Employment at Usual Occupation...................................
Fmployment During Migration............
Casual and Non-Casual Occupations......
F.mployabili ty·..........................
Chapter IV. Origin and Movement of the Transient Relief
Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reasons for Beginning Migration,.......
Duration of Migration..... . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mobility of the Transient Relief Population.................................
Origins and Destinations of the Transient Relief Population................
Origins..............................
Migration from Rural and Urban Areas
Destinations.........................
Chapter
V. Summary and Conclusions..................
Summary................................
Conclusions............................

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CONTENTS

Pa,e.

Text Tables
Table A.
Table B.
Table C.

Table D.
Table E.

Table F.

Table G.
Table H.

&nployability of Transients under Care June
3, 193!5, as Reported by the Division of
Transient Activities, United States Total..
Percent of Transients Who Had Never Worked,
April 1935, Registrations in 13 Ci ties....
Percent of Transients Who Had No Usual Occupation, April 1935, Registrations in 13
Ci ties.. . . . . . . • . . • • . . . . • . • . • • • • . • • • • . • • . . . .
Monthly Registrations per 100 Cases under
Care on the Fifteenth (or 16th) of Each
Month, Total United States ....•.•...•....••
Monthly Registrations of Unattached persons
per 100 Cases under Care on the Fifteenth
I or 16th I of the Mon th, for Selected States
and Months.................................
Percentage of Unattached and Family Group Transients Originating in States East and West
of the Mississippi River...................
Number of S.tates with Net Gains or Losses fr0111
the Movement of Interstate Unattached Transients, at each of Four Olarterly Censuses.
Number of States with Net Gains or Losses fro•
the Movement of Interstate'Transient Faaily
Groups, at Each of Four Quarterly Censuses.

!50

!51

76
81

Charts
Chart

Chart

II.

Chart
Chart

III.
IV.

Chart

VI.

Chart

VII.

Chart VIII.
Chart

IX.

Registrations and Mid-monthly Ceusus,Unattached Transients, United States Total,
faces ..............•....••.••••••••••.•.
Registrations and Hid-monthly Census,Transient Fanily Groups, United States Total,
f ac.es .•• _ •.•••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••
Transient Registrations-13 Cities, faces.
Distribution of Age by Single Tears, Transients Registered in 13 Ci ties, April 1935,
faces .......•.........•....•...•.•••••••
Schooling of Transient and Resident Bmeless,
faces . ................................. .
Schooling of Unattached Transients bJ Color
and Nativity, faces.....................
Schooling of Unattached Transients by Age
Groups, faces...........................
Transient Registrations and Cases under
Care for Selected States, Unattached
Transients, faces.......................
Transient Registrations and Cases under
Care for Selected States, Traasient F-ily Groups, faces................... • • .
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CONTENTS
MAPS
Map

Map

Maps

3-6.

Maps 7-10.

Page.

State of Origin-Interstate Transients under
Care, 102,211 Transients, June 30, 1935
faces....................................
State of Origin-Interstate Transients under
Care, 28,919 Transient Family Groups, June
30, 193'5, faces..........................
Net Gain or Loss, by States, Unattached
Transients under Care, face..............
Net Gain· or Loss, by States, Family Transient Groups under Care, face............

8~81
82-83

(Appendix Al
Digest of Relief Bills Containing Provision
for Needy Non-Residents..................

SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES
I App en di x BI
Table

Table

2A.

Table

2B.

Table

2C.

Table

7 A.

Transient Relief Registrations and Midmonthly Census, Total United States, aud
Registrations in 13 Selected Cities ..... .
Age of Unattached Transients Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, May 19311, through
April 1935 .......•....•..• , ...... , · · •.. · ·
Age of Heads of Transient Family Groups
Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, May
19311, through April 1935 ............... ..
Age of Resident Homeless Persons Registered
for Relief in 6 Cities, October 19311,
through April 1935 ..................... ..
Sex Ratio of Transients Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, May 19311, through
April 1935 ......•.•..............•.•...••
Color and Nativity of Transient and Resident Homeless Persons Registered for relief in 13 Cities, August 19311, through
Ap ri l 19 3'5 .•••••.•••••••.••••••••••••••••
Marital Status of Unattached Transients and
Heads of Transient Family Groups Registered for Relief in 13 Ci ties, September
and December 19311, and January through
April 1935 ..•.•....•.....•...... , · · · ·. · · ·
Sex and Marital Status of Transients Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, September
19311 ................•........•...••...•..
Age, Sex, and Marital Status of Unattached
Transients Registered for Relief in 13
Cities, September 19311 ........••.....•...
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CONTENTS
Table

7B.

Table

JC.

Table

BA.

Table

8B.

Table

10.

Table

11.

Table 12A.

Table 12B.

Table

13.

Table

lQ.

Table

l!i.

Table

16.

Table

17.

Table

18.

Table

19.

Page.

Age, Sex, and Marital Status of Heads of
Transient Family Groups Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q......
Age, Sex, and Marital Status of Other Persons than Heads of Transient Family Groups
Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q.... • . • • • . . • . • • • • . . . • . . • • • . • • .
Color and Nati Yi ty and Marital Status of
Unattached Transients Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q........
Color and Nativity and Marital Status of
Heads of Transient Family Groups Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q..
Size of Transient Family Groups Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q,
through April 1935.......................
Education of Transient and Resident Homeless Persons Registered for Relief in 13
Cities, September 193Q...................
Education of Unattached Transients Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, September
193Q, by Color and Nativity..............
Age and Education of Unattached Transients
Registered for Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q..............................
.Age and &lucation of Heads of Traasient
Family Groups Registered for Relief in 13
Ci ties, September 193Q...................
Emplo.Y111ent Status of Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Ci ties, October 193Q,
through April 1935.......................
Work History of Transients Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, September 193Q,
through April 1935.......................
Work History of Transients Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, Classified bJ Sex,
January through April 1935...............
Usual Occupation of Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, Classified bJ
Family Type, for January through April
1935......... .• . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • • . . . .
ComparisonofTransient and Resident Relief
Unemployed with Total Gainfully F.mployed
Population in 1930, Percent Distribution.
Usual Occupation of Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Ci ties, Classified by
Sex, JanuarJ through April 1935.........
Usual Occupations of Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, February 19~..
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CONTENTS

Table 20A.

Table 20B.

Table

21.

Table

22.

Table 23A.

Table 23B.

Table 2llA.

Table 2qB.

Table

2'5.

Table

26.

Table 27A.

Table 27B.

Table

23.

Page ..

Work History of Transients Registered for
Relief in 13 Ci ties, Classified by Sex
and Age Groups, April 193'5.......... . ...
Usual Occupations of Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, Classified by
Sex, and by Age Groups, April 1935......
Duration of Last Job at Usual Occupation
Before Migration, Reported by Transients
Registered for Relief in 13 Ci ties, February through April 1935............ . ...
Duration of First Job After Beginning Migration Reported by Transients Registered
for Relief in 13 Cities, February through
April 193'5.................... ..........
Casual and Non-casual Occupations of Unattached Transients Registered for Relief
in 13Cities, October 193ll, through April
1935.................... .................
Casual and Non-casual Occupations of Heads
of Transient Family Groups Registered for
Relief in 13 Ci ties, ~tober 193ll, through
April 19 3'5....................... .......
Reason for Beginning Migration foe Unattached Transients Registered for Relief
in 13 Ci ties, October
193ll, through
Apri 1 19 3'5....................... .......
Reason for Beginning Migration for Heads of
Transient Family Groups Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, October 193ll, through
April 193!5
Rate of Addition and Duration of Migration
of Transients Registered for Relief in 13
Cities, October 1931', through April 1935
Oriein of Interstate Transients Under Care
on One Da, at Three-Month Intervals, September 30, 1931', to June ,:), 1935, by Geofraphic Divisions. Total United States...
Origin of Interstate Transients Under Care
on One Day at Three-Month Intervals, September ~. 193ll, to June ~. 1935, by
States, Total United States..............
(Percent Distribution) Origin of Interstate
Transients Under Care on One Day at ThreeMonth Intervals, September~. 193ll, to
Jone ,:), 1935, by States, Total United
States.................. .................
Origin, by Rural and Urban Areas ot Unattached and Fa11ily Group Transients Regis -Med
for Relief iD 13 Ci ties, Novftl:i'~i' by
thrOUih Al>ril 193'5..................... .

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Table 29.

Page.

Origin of Migration by Size of Place, Unattached
and Family Group Transients Registered for
Relief in 13 Cities, for Selected Months...

121

I Appendix Cl
Case History Abstracts Presenting Reasons for
Beginning Migrations.......................

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RBSUMB

The traasient relief population consisted of unattached
individuals aad family groups who were not legal residents of
the colllllunity in which they applie4 for relief.
Because nonresidents were generally ineligible for relief from existing
public agencies, special provision for their care was included
in the Federal &nergency Relief Act of Hay, 1933.
In the ad11inistration of relief under this provision, transients were
defined as unattached persons or family groups that had not
resided for one continuous year or longer within the boundaries
of the State at the time of application for relief.
Prior to the enactment of the Federal Emergency Relief Act
of 1933, the number of transients was variously estimated to
be between one and one-half and five million persons.
These
estimates proved to be greatly in excess of the number of transients who received care in accordance with the provisions of
the Emergency Relief Act.
A careful examination of registrations indicates that the maximum size of the transient relief
population during the operation of the Transient Relief Program
,was 200,000 unattached persons and 50,000 family groups. · But
because the transient relief population was constantly undergoing a change of membership, it seems probable that the number
of individuals and family groups that at so•e tt11e received assistance from transient bureaus was two to three times these
estimates.
The personal and occupational characteri sties of this mobile
relief population were determined from a study of monthly registrations in thirteen cities, selected to represent the several
sections of the country.
The more important findings of the
study of characteristics may be summarized as follows:
(al Approximately two-thirds of the unattached persons and
one-half of the heads of family groups were between the ages
of sixteen and thirty-five years.
( b I Tbe proportion of unattached women did not exceed 3
percent in any month, while approximately 15 percent of the
beads of family groups were woinen.
(cl The great majority of transients were native white persons; Negroes represented approximately one-tenth of the monthly
registrations, and foreign-born whites, approximately onetwentieth.
In the transient relief population the proportion
of native white persons was higher, the proportion of foreignborn whites, lower, and the proportion of Negroes, about the
saae, as in the general population.
(di Only 2 percent of the unattached transients and 3percent
of the beads of transient families had no formal education;
approxiaately two-thirds of both groups had a grade-schooledacatioa, or better.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMFLOYED

(el Ability and expressed willingness to work were reported
for about 95 percent of the unattached persons and 90 percent
of the heads of family groups.
(fl Broad groupings of usual occupatio~s show that the pro~ortion of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in the transient
relief population was higher than the proportion of such workers
in the general, or i~ the resident relief, population .
I g I The 111ost frequent reason for the depression migration
of needy persons and family groups was unemployment.
Other
reasons of importance were ill health, search for adventure,
domestic trouble, and inadequate relief.
!hi When the origins of the transient relief population
I total United States) are considered, it is found that unattached transients came principally from States to the east, and
transient families from States to the west, of the Mississippi
River.
Ii I Based upon registrations in thirteen cities, approximately 80 percent of the unattached persons and 70 percent of
the family groups came from urban centers 12,500 or more population I.
Moreover, transients from rural areas came more frequently from small towns I under 2,500 population) than from
fanns and open country.
lj} The largest and most persistent net gains in population
resulting from the movement of transients were reported by
States located in the Western and Southwestern sections of the
country; while the largest and most persistent net losses were
reported by States in the Eastern, Southeastern, and West Central
sections.
The evidence presented in this report points tu the conclusion tllat transiency was largely the result of two ci rcumstances-widespread unemployment, and population mobility.
The relief problem presented by this group was the result of a
third factor-legal settlement !or residence! as a prerequisite
for relief from public and private agencies in each community.
Except for the fact that they were non-residents, there
seems little reason for considering transients as a distinct
and separate group in the total relief population.
Although
they could be distinguished from the resident unemployed, it
was principally because they were younger, and included a
greater proportion of unattached persons.
Actually the transient population represented the more active and restless element among the great number of unemployed created by the
depression. Migration offered an escape from inactivity; and,
in addition, there was the po5sibili ty that all communities
were not equally affected by unemployment.
The migration of aconsiderable part of the transient relief
population appears to have been a waste of effort.
Much of
the movement was away from urban areas that from the point of
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,
RESUME

view o:f economic development were more likely to afford employthan were the areas which particularly attracted the transient.
As business and industry recover, it may be expected
that many of the depression transients will return to areas
si ■ilar to the ones they left.
It seems evident from this study that the problem of depression transiency can be solved only th rough an adjustment
o:f this ■obile labor supply to areas where there is a demand
for their se"ices. Resettlement and stability are contingent
npon econo■ ic opportunity. Therefore, it seems highly probable
that the dissolution of the transient population will proceed
oalJ as rapidly as business and industl'J cu provide the emplor■ ent essential to stability.
To whatever extent this provisioa falls short, the transient proble■ will remain unsolved.
■ent

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INTRODUCTION

The removal of individuals and family groups from one community to another is ordinarily the cause of no great concern
to the communities affected.
As long as those who move are
self-supporting, and do not disturb the traditions, nor arouse
the prejudices of the communities in which they stop, they are
welcome. But when, as in 1930 and subsequent years, the movement of population includes an increasing number of unemployed
persons in need of assistance, communities become alarmed, and
either adopt the policy of "passing on" the needy to other
communities, or refuse assistance on the grounds that their
own residents have a prior claim on the public and private funds
available for relief.
Either procedure is in keeping with the tradition in this
country that each locality is responsible only for the care of
its own needy citizens.
The tradition is written into the
statutes of most of the States, and has governed the poor relief
practices in all of them. The doctrine of local respon~ibility
for relief has a long history reaching back to En.glish poor
relief practices in the sixteenth century, when its avowed intent was to protect each parish from the inroads of "stalwart
rogues" and "sturdy beggars". But neither in England where it
originated, nor in this country where it was adopted, has the
principle of local responsibility prevented the needy unemployed
from quit ting a community in which they could find no work.
Moreover, poor relief procedure based upon this principle makes
no attempt to distinguish the temporarily unemployed who have
set out to find work, from t~ chronic wanderer-the hobo,
the tra~p, and the bum. By excluding all needy non-residents,
the poor laws force the former to adopt the means of livelihood
employed by the latter, with the result that some of the temporarily unemployed never resume a sedentary life.
The size of this mobile population has never been known,
either in times of depression or prosperity.
Social service
agencies have long been familiar with the homeless man, the
migratory worker, the runaway boy, the stranded workman, and
other types of non-resident needy.
These agencies knew that
the number increased during depressions, and declined during
periods of prosperity.
But with a population that was constantly moving, and largely anonymous, it was obviously impossible to estimate the total from the observations in any one
agency, community or State.
For many years one or mure of the social agencies in each
of the large cities have been particularly concerned with the
care of transient and homeless persons.
These agencies gave
what relief their funds permitted, arranged for the return of
non-residents when the home community or relatives would accept

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INTRODUCTION

responsibilitJ, established means by which cases could be inYestigated with a minimum of delay, and attempted to ptevent
tile needJ non-resident from becoming a permanent social outcast.
But for every case that was helped, there were many mote that
either escaped notice or could not be assisted.
The problem
was principally one of interstate migrations; and nothing short
of a change in the prevailing principle of local responsibility,
or Federal intervention, could prevent a serious problem of
destitution with each recurring period of unemployment.
Contrary to expectation, it was Federal intervention, rather
than a break with the tradition of local responsibility, that,
in 1933, made funds available for the relief of the needy nonresident.
When the Seventy-third Congress met in the spring
of 1933, unemployment relief was recognized as a nationa-1 problem. The inability of the localities to care for the needs of
their citizens was frankly admitted; and the Federal Emergency
Relief Act of May, 1933, provided for the cooperation of the
Federal Government with the States and communities in the relief
of destitution.
But this Act, which by title and intent was
an emergency measure to assist the States, went even further;
it provided additional, and wholly Federal funds for the care
of needy non-residents, or transients, whootherwise would have
renained an excluded group.
The Relief Act of May, 1933, recognized that during an emergency caused by nation-wide unemployment, the transient relief
population was necessarily a Federal responsibility. Thus, for
the first time it bee-a.me not only possible, but necessary to
study the characteristics of a depression migration of needy
unemployed, and to determine the extent to which it represented
the chronic wanderer, and the sedentary person turned migrant
in search of a more favorable environment.
It is the purpose of this report to present the results of
a study of the individuals and family groups who comprised the
transient relief population under the provisions of the Federal
Bllergency Relief Act of May, 1933,
The report consists of several sections, the first of which
defines the group a.nd states the problem of the transient unemployed, reviews the efforts that were made to obtain consideration for them as a relief group, and presents data on the
number of persons included.
The second section is concerned
with the personal characteristics of the two types of transient
relief cases-the individual case, or unattached transient,
and the group case, or transient family group. The next section
describes the occupational characteristics of unattached transients and heads of transient family groups, and discusses some
of the factors which condition their prospects of absorption
by private eaploy111ent.
The fourth section is devoted to an
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

analysis of the reasons for the depression migration of individuals and family groups, the duration of their migration,
their origins in terns of the State of residence before migration, and their destinations in te1111s of States that gained
population as a result of this migration. The final section
summarizes the principal findings of this report, and discusses
the relation of the transient relief population to the general
probler,, of unemployment relief during the depression.

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Chapter I

THI ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RBLlBF PROGRAM
During an econ011ic depression the needy unemployed appear
as two distinct groups-the resident, and the non-resident
needy. The resident unemployed comprise much the larger group,
but they are known to the communities and accepted as a local
problem. The non-resident, or transient, unemployed, on the
contrary, are unknown, and readily become a source of alarm to
communities through which they pass.
Although it now seems
evident that the alarm of the communities tends to exaggerate
the problem of the non-resident unemployed out of proportion
to the number on the road, the problem is no less real for
being overstated upon discovery.
Simply stated, the problem of the transient unemployed is
this: No community welcomes the needy stranger who comes either
as a competitor for what employment still remains, or as an
applicant for assistance, when both employment and relief funds
are inadequate to the needs of the resident population.
In
effect, a depression puts a premium on length of residence and
stability; and those who venture to leave their home communities
in search of work must dosoat the risk of being regarded with
suspicion, if not outright hostility.
But to some of the unemployed, stability and enforced idleness are incompatible
states.
Migration at least offers an escape from inactivity,
and in addition, there is the possibility that all communities
are not equally affected by unemployment.
Since a narrowing of the labor market is one of the first
signs of a depression, a migration of the unemployed might be
expected as an immediate consequence. What data are available
show this to have been the case i.n the most recent depression.
In October 1930 a report on social statistics, including the
number of tra11sient and homeless persons receiving temporary
shelter in nineteen cities, contained the following statement:

•considertnt thfj seasonal tnfluence on the
(transtent and homeless) serutce, tt ts tnterestt~ to note that tn the more seuere 11conths of
the ftrst vearly quarter (1930), 8. 533 more persons recetued atd this year than last tn these
19 ctttes, whereas tn the second quarter, 11,572
•ore persons were asststed tn 1930 than tn 1929,
tn sptte of the •tlder weather condtt tons.• 1
When reports from twenty-nine metropolitan areas were complete
1 see 0181111 Steele, 80c1&J. Stat1at1ca, KoothlJ Labor Review, Vol. St, Nuaber 4, October. taeo.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

for the year 1930, it was fouad that aot only had the aaaber
of nights' lodgings given transient and homeless ■ en increased
in each quarter over comparable figures in 1929, bat that in
the last quarter of 1930 the increase exceeded 100 percent. 1
In 1931, a survey was made of the experience of sixteen cities
with the care of transient and homeless persons d11ring the
winter of 1930-1931. 2 All but one of these cities reported a
marked increase in applications for relief over the previous
years.
Apparently the number of transient unemployed incre~d
steadily during the first half of 1931, and by fall some of the
communities becane seriously alarmed.
As it bec•e evident
that conditions were not likely to improve during the winter
of 1931-1932, and that local resources were insufficient to
care for the resident unemployed, communities appealed for outside assistance in handling the needy transients. In November
1931, California authorized the establishment of labor cmps
"where transient homeless men \«>Uld be given food and shelter
in return for \«>rk on projects beneficial to the State of
California".' At about the same time a camp for non-resident
needy was established near Jacksonville, Florida. In Deceaber
1931, the ~eventy-second Congress bad under consideration tlO
unemployment relief bills, both of which included so■e provision for the non-resident unemployed. The provisions ia these
bills were vague, reflecting the lack of knowledte as to the

Tbe agencies reporting were ■unicipal lodging housea, ■ 1aa1oaa, alleltara,
rellglous, and other organizations that provided t•por&rJ' allaltar to transient and bo■ eless ■ en.
See Glenn Steele, Te■ porar7 Shelter tor Bo■ elesa or Transl,at Paraona,
United States Children's Bureau, Oovern■ ent Printing Ottlce, Washington,

,o.See c.,Robert
1932.
s.

Wilson, Co1111unit7 Planning tor Ho ■ eless Hen 111d Boys, P'a■ llJ'
Welfare Association or Aaerica, Hew Tork, t9St. Sae also Alderson and Rich,
Care or the Homeless in Unemployment Dlergencies, pubUIShad b7 the sue
organ1Zat1on.
'sees. Re.irord Black, Reportontnecaurornia State Labor Cup, cautornla
State Unemploy ■ ent Commission, San Francisco, Calitornla, 1952, page 9.
The introduction to the report contalns tbe tollowlng slgnlUc&nt paragraphs:
"In tlls fa 1l of 1931 the prob le• of carini for Oe ~nes;lo.7•cl fl.au less . . .
assused sef"iou.s pro;o.,.ii.ons. r1111 privah n Hs/ aienci.es ancl tu •-i.cipal
and count)' autllori.ht1s found i1111sse &vu con/.,.onted with tll• UftCs;.ct•cl
prob le• of salli.ng • provi.si.on for tile ,nc.,.11asine nusbe.,.s of 110a..,..•sicl••t jobless •en who we-re 1>=ring i.nto ou.,. State in s•a.,.cll of food and sulhr,
and of the protecii.on afforded by~.,. favor•cl cli.aate."

"file sounting burden of unea;lo)'■eni auas sallifli clee; iaroacls iato tu
haited funds that IIJl!rll avai.lable for -reHe/ io tu usicl•ni _.;lo.7•cl,
and i.t beca•• necessa.,.)' /<Yr tile Stats iOVe.,.nunt to talle i.-•cliGtl GCtiOll
to re heve tile local cossuni.tiu of ill• added ns;ouibilit.7 of CGrillf for
tile non~esi.deni t.,.ans,ents."

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THE ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

number and the needs of the non-resident unemployed; but both
provisions recognized the fact that non-residents were ineligible for relief under existing practices.
The first bill, introduced on December 9, 1931, provided in
Section 6 (6) that States desiring to receive benefits from
this Act shall submit plans which shall include:
• • •• prouLsLons satts{actor11 to the {federal
une11plo1111ent relief) board for securtn~ the
benefit contemplated b11 thts act to persons
1,Jfthtn the State, LrrespectLue of the µertoa
of residence 1,JtthLn the State. " 1

The second bill, introduced on the same date,
Section q (5) that:

provided in

"The ( federal rel Lef) board is aJJ.thorized,
throuth such 11eans and ~enctes as Lt may
detenaine, to proutde for extending rel ie{
to mitratory wrkers and their famtl ies,
1uho by reason of inability to establish
legial residence wt thin any State,
are un·able to qualify for benefits under any State
rel tef plan. " 2

Although neither of these bills was specific on tne subject
of relief to transients, some of the testimony introduced at
the public hearings held by the Senate committee referred directly to the problem, and indicated the growing concern in all
parts of the country.
One witness 3 when questioned about the
needs of the migratory worker, replied:
"You perhaps haue noticed tn the papers the
news Ltem that F'lorida was flashin~ warntnt;s that it could not receiue the hordes
of people wLth uery little or no money who
were comin~ thf:Jre to live.
The same
is
true as to Geor~ta,
Cal t fornLa, Arizona,
New /Jexico,
and many other States.
The
situation ts complicated in those Western
States by the fact that so many people to

s. 174, Sevent1-a11cond Con&raa;;, tlrst session. For rurtner inroni<ltion,
Appendi .1 A.
2ua
s. 3'2, St1vent1-Hcond Congress, Urst aessio11. See A.>Panai.1 A.
JJ. Prentice Mur11n1, E,ucutiva Director, Pn1ladelpnia CD1ldran• a Bureau.
Rearina• on s. 174 ancl s. ae2, p, 51, See ~11anc1i.1 4.
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THE

TRANSIENT UNIMPLOTID

iuest not only because they are poor or
unemployed, but because they are stck or
nearly so. They thtnk that heal th l tes at
the other end of the l tne.
Clearly a national problBII and a trowtnt one.
The
actual number of unsettled 11itrants tn tams
of fan.tlies and tndtuiduals 111.ay run up as
high as 2,000,000.•

Another witness submitted a report on conditions in the several
States which showed that in some, transient relief was considered a more pressing problem than resident relief. 1
Between the time when these first attempts were made to secure Federal assistance for the transient unemployed, and the
spring of 1933, several other efforts were made to obtain funds
for transient relief. 2 But it was not until the passage of the
Federal &nergency Relief Act of May, 1933, that these efforts
and the growing concern of the country over the problem resulted
in the provision of Federal funds for a transient relief program. Section q(c) of the Federal &nergency Relief Act of May,
1933, provided:
nThat the Adn&tntstrator •au certify out of
the funds made auatlable by thts subsectton
additional grants to States applvtni there•
for to atd needy persons wllO have no leeaL
settle11ent in any one State or co11111.untty. • '

1Franlt Bane, Director, American Assoc1at1on ot PubUc Welfare 0tt1c1a1a,
Hearlngs on 8, 174 ands. 262, pp. 106-1()7. See Appendl& A. Tbe tollow1~ extracts are from Hr. Bane's report:
"A,-i,zona. file iran.si.eni prob••• i.s ■ ost .sef"i.016S. Ouer '"~'f tile rsluf
budgets an w.,ed for n he/ of tran.si.ent.s. Pb.Oflni." reports a aa.1'i.au• of
1,780 tf"ansi.ent uni.none day.
"Cahforni.a. r11e i.ndi.,ent transient prol1'•• i.s aost .sef"iou.,. fo,.ng un
a,., c oainf in ia,-g11 nuabers, traue hng on /rs i.e ht tf"ain.s. H lla.s besn .sai.4
that Los Ange ies afready has 01111,. 70,000 transient un, 111i.th abo,.t 1,500
co■ i.ng in dai. iy.
r11ese Southweste,-n Siahs a,-e f•e hne ill• 11,od for .soa

type of fed11f"aL ai.d for t,-ansi.ents.
"fior,aa • .-haai., hapa, and Jac.-sonui.Ue af"e swaaped by if"ansi.ents.
sPaf"se iy SIi ti Led counhes a,-11 not awa,-e of any spec i.al re he/ prob Z.a.s.
r lie St ate 1111 e:ts outs i.de aid for i 118 ,,.ans i.e11,t s i.t =hon.
w111vada. Locai condi.ti.ons af"e 11,ot ,speci.aLiy seri.ous, aUho1'rll Clle tf"an•
sienC p,-obLe ■ is becoaine ■ ore acute.
"lew Medco. rile ,,.ansi.ent prooiaa causes ■ ost di.ffi.cuUy. One town of
2,000 f"B port,d a tf"ans i.eni ioaa of 2,000 ,i,.,- i"i OIMI •onih an4 others are
aiso
ia,-ee tf"ansient Loads."
'
2 From ca,-,-yi.ne
Dece111ber 2, 1929, until Harcb 4, 1'133, tbere were 99 reuer bllls
introduced into Congress; twelve or tbese bllls contUn•d eoae provlslon
ror rellet to needy non-residents; and one or tbem (S~ 5121) was solely
tor transient rel1et. So tar as can be deter1111ned, 1:1. 174 and S. 2e2
rererred to above, represent tbe tlrst attempt durlng tbe depression to
obtilln relle! tor translents. For turtber details on tbeea twelve bllla,
and the public bearln6's tbat were be.l.d on su or tbH, ••• AppendU A.
3Public-No. 1S-73rd Congress, approved Hay 12, 19~3.

rh.,

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LOCATION OF STUDY CITIES

.................................
'

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~

IINll ■ IHlll■ HI . . . INHH . . INleH

-\
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I
I

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'•

LOS ANGELES

N-

....... '••

' -,

PHOENIX
1111

• 111111

lr"""'

~,.,,.,
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'11

•••••••'
,

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1,.. ,,.

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mi l

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MEMPHIS

II Ii,' I DA
'I LLAS

KANSAS CITY

Ja,

cg:

NL aAl
""""

...
'
.,. . . .J l,~ ,......

....
1.11:....................,.....

■ IHHIHIIN HNlll■llta-.,

...,. . . . . T

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••'
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•.,~

NEW ORLEANS

J~K5<?NVILLE

'•·•'
OIVlSK>N Of SOCIAL M IEAlllCH

AF· l!t04

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THE ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

ln accordance wi tb this provision, a Division of Transient
Activities was established as a part of toe federal Emergency
Reliei Auministr.nio~. The States were invited to ~ubmit transicnt relit:! pro~rarus to be financctl oy relief ~rants ear-maned
!or tlJat purpose; anu oy the clo~e of 1933 tuerc wc::rt: in operation 261 transient relief centers and 63 work camps in 40
States. 1
Early in 1934 seven of the rewainiug States had
programs approved, leaving only Vennont without a transient
relief service.
The persons eligible for relief under this program were,
according to the l{elief Act of 1933, " ... persons who have no
legal settlement in any one State or community".
Since the
Act did not define what was meant by legal settlement, the
reference was presumably to the legal settlement requirements
of the several States.
However, it was obviously impossible
in practice to take account of the widely varying settlement
provisions of the States 2 in providing relief to the interstate
homeless. Therefore, resort was had to an arbitrary, but workable, definition of settlement, which was issued on July 11,
1933, in the Federal Emergency Relief Administration's "l<ules
and l{egulations No. 3."
liere it was stated that:
•For tl,e purpose of t"is Act, set Lleiaent
snall be ae{i.ned as resLaence within a s,a,e
tor a per Loa of ONE CXJNTINllOlJS TEAR OR LONGER.
Hence, al L µ0rsons i.n neea of' relief ,mo 1iaue
not resiueu witnin tne bounaarLes of a State
for 12 consecut Lue aonr.,is, oia11 be coris iaerea
as proper cl aias on t.he feaeral Emer~er,c11
Rel Le( Ac.ll&LnLs,ra£Lon uruler the aboue Sect Lon."

In applying this definition of transient, it _was realized
that th.e homeless population would be divided into several
classifications.
These classifications were described in a
memorandum issued July 26, 1933, by the 1"eC:eral Emergency
Relief Administration, on relief to transients and hoo1eless:
"It snoula be reaeaberea l.1"1£ t.n an11
Local co,uuni LIJ were 111i l l be tnree t11pes

lror a deacrlPtlon or uie t)'Pea or ald and tile 11411lnlatratlon or re11er
11n<1ar uie Tranahnt Reller Pro"raa 11H w. J. Pl11okert., P11bll c Reaponalbll l t.7 or Traoaunu, Toe 90Cliil Service Review, Yol. Vlll, No. 3 (Sept.. ber, 1934) pp. 48t-411 t.
2 su Le&al Ruearca Bulhtlna Noa. Ir- I t.o A-12, Septe■ ber e, 111:'14, to
rebruar1 15, 1935, Dlvlalon or Reaaarca, Statlat.lca, and r1naiice, Federal
... r,enc7 Reller .ldalnlatratlOD, WaalllD&tOD, D. c.
Se• alao, 8t&t.utor1 Prol'lalona tor rtnancln& 11>ecu1c cau,orlea or Welrara, prepared ln AM&11•'• 1995, 1»7 Mae ••• or,anl&&t.lon.

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THE

TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

of homeless persons or famtltes:
1. Local homeless restdents
2. State homeless, more than twelue 11tOnths
tn State
3. Transient ho11teless,
less than
twelue
11tOnths tn State.
"All these r,;roups need to be properly
and humanely prouided for.
The troups ( 1)
and (2) are proutded for under Section 4(a}
and 4(bJ of tlte Federal Emer(;ency Reltef
Act.
Group No. 3 ts proutded for out of
adal.tional trants under Section 4(c) of the
same Act."

Thus, the homeless needy, which included persons of every degree of mobility from the chronic tramp to the recently evicted
resident, were classified according to the length of time they
had been in the State in which they applied for relief.
This
three-fold division was to have an important bearing on the
size of the transient population.

The Size of the Transient Population -

Estimated

Prior to the inauguration of the Transient Relief Program
in July 1933, little was actually known of the number of needy
homeless, resident or transient, despite the widespread concern
over this group.
However, there was no lack of estimates,
particularly at Congressional hearings on relief legislation. 1
These estimates placed the number of needy homeless at one and
one-half to five million persons. The Transient Relief Program
had been in operation only a short time when it was discovered
that these estimat~s greatly overstated the size of the transient homeless population as it was defined under the provision
contained in the Relief Act of 1933.
Judging from the number
of transients who received care under the Transient Program,
the number never exceeded one-half million. The overestimates
of the transient population were largely the result of three
factors: (1) the application of the tenn "transient" 2 to homeless
1Te:.t1aon1 ot Dr. Nels AnCleraon, Colu■bla Universlt.Y, New York City, pp.
66-67, and J. Prentice lfur111ly, PnlladelPllia, Pd.&e 84, at tile llearings on
8. 5121; and Mr. lfurPIIY' s test1aony on 8. 174 and 8. ae 2, p11,g1 5 1. See
AppendU A.
2In the tleld or relier tne tera •tr.uislent• cue to 1lav11 a so■ e•llat ■ore
l1a1tec1 aeaning arter tne P•ssage or tile Reller Act or t933 tllcAD 1t. llad
ln tile early years or tile c1epress1on.
During tne Congresslon..i lleerlnga
on relier legial11t1on 1t was used ■ore or less S¥nonymousl1 wltll tile teraa
"llo ■ eleas•, "llllgrent•, 11.110 •non-resident• to describe persons •110 were
inell~lble ror reuer under tile provisions or State Poor Laws. During tile
operation or tile Federal Eaergency Reller Ac1■ inlatratio11 tne word •tranalent • waa appU ed specUi cally to needy persons and tullies tllat · llad
been •itllln a State leas then twelYe consecutiH ■ontlla at tile tl ■ e Ule7
applied tor assistance. Not all or these persona ■ere •transient• 111 tne
sense that tlleJ" neYer r•ainec1 long .an ona place; but there ••• a aurnc1ently large Proport.on or b1g111y ■oblle pereona included to JuatU7
&cceptenc, or tile word •transient• as a e11c1e1ec1 iaproY . .entGon the ubl~
uoaa ter■ a 1 11O■ 1leaa•ane1 ■non-reaic1ent•.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

persons or fa11ilies without reference to whether or not they
had legal settleaent in the community in which they applied
for assistance; (2) the estimation of the total population
fro■ observation in areas where the number of transients was
cu-sing the greatest alann; and ( 3) the tendency of agencies
and individuals interested in obtaining assistance !or trausients to exaggerate the number on the road.
(1) The Federal Emergency Relief Administration's memorandum
of July 26, 1933, was the first attempt to segregate the homeless into local I resident I, State I intrastate I, and transient
Cinterstatel h011eless. The public and private agencies -municipal lodging houses, missions, shelters, etc.-tbat ha<l given
the needy homeless temporary shelter in the past, usually were
not concerned with the legal settlement status of the homeless
at time of application for relief. Indeed, at one time most ol
these agencies diJ not even record the applicant's name, but
merely kept a recordofthe number of lodgings and meals given .
.Although this practice ol considering the homeless as anonymous
has gradually been replaced by a central record bureau or :;ocial
service exchange, the prevaili~g belief was that the transient
aad homeless were practically identical; which, in fact, the;;
were, as far as local relief practices were coucerned. It was
obvious that the transient was homeless, and experience had
shown that 11any of the homeless-were transients. 1 Nels Anderson
stated at a Senate nearing 2 on transient reliel legislation
that the onl7 distinction between the transient and homeless
■ an was "the distinction that one is going."
The homeless were well known in every large city as a social
problem that varied in magnitude with economic conditions and
with the seaso11.s.
They were to be found on the streets and
in the subwafs, the municipal lodging houses, the missions, the
Salvation Arm7soupkitchens, and in the "shanty towns"; weather
pemitting, the7 could be seen along the docks and in the parks.
Certain sectious ol the large cities were well known as their
habitat; for instance, the Bowery in New York City, West Ma<lison
and South State Streets in Chicago, and the "skid road" in
Seattle. The nwnber of homeless was known to increase during
depressioits, particularly during the winter months, over-crowding the poor facilities of the "flop houses" and th.e private
social agencies.
During the spring and summer, part of the
homeless population of the cities drifted out into the country
to wrk at short-time seasonal employments in agriculture,
1 see Mels Anderson, Tbe Hobo, Cblcago, 19P.3, and Tne Homeless ln New Tork
Clty (mlaeograpned), Welfare Councll or N~w York Clty, 19:.'14; Allee w.
Sollnber,er, One Thousand Ho~eless Men, Ne• Tork, 1911.
7Hearlngs
on 8, 6121, p. ell, January, 1933. See A1111,md1X A.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED
construction, and such other industries as depend wholly or in
part upon a floating labor supply. Each fall most of the wanderers returned to the cities, to live through the winter in
cheap hotels if they had accumulated a "stake"or in the missions
and free lodging houses if they had found no w:irk or bad spent
_their earnings.
It is not surprising, then, that in advance of the specific
definition of trausient issued by the Relief Administration,
the estimates of the transient-homeless population should include, without discrimination, the resident and the migratory
homeless. There is little doubt that the homeless in the cities
did number a million or more; but there is no evidence to show
that the migratory homeles.:3 ever reached such a figure. Moreover, the most reliable estimates 1 of the number of homeless in
need of relief were based upon reports from the larger cities
where there was no established proceaure for differentiating
transients, as later defined, from the re.5ident ( ~tate or local I
homeless.
( 2) It was noted earlier in this chapter that the States
which first became alarmed over the number of transients were
California, Florida, Arizona, and New Mexico. There is no doubt
that these States, because of their climate (which had been so
extensively advertised) and location, exercised a particular
attraction on the transient. Travel in these States frequently
involves crossing sparsely settled areas where the traveler is
immediately conspicuous, particularly if, like the transient,
he rides the frei~ht trains or hitch-hikes along the highways.
Moreover, the cities in these States lacked the experience with
the needy homeless that such cities as Seattle, Chicago, and
New York had gained over a period of many years. Two thousand
transients in Chicago, or New York City, might easily pass unnoticed, but the same number in Jacksonville, Florida; Lordsburg, New Mexico; Bakers! ield, California; or Phoenix, Arizoaa,
becomes a serious problem.
The Southern transcontinental route was favored by many of
the transients traveling to and from the Pacific coast; and
particularly by the younger transients who wanted to see the
legendary Southwest. The railrJad police and train crews were
unable to prevent tr;Jllsientsfrom riding freight trains through
these sparsely settled areas; but the distance between cities
made food and shelter hard to obtain. The result was that each
through freight train brought its load of hungry men and boys
who descended on the small town along the railroad seeking food
and shelter.
The local police were helpless, for if no other

1
see the results ot the 111rveye conducted b7 the Ooaalttee on CU'e or
Transient and Bo ■ eleaa, p, W,
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THB ORIGIN OF THB TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

sbelter was available, the transient sought out the jail, and,
if necessary, invited arrest to obtain assistance, safe in the
knowledge that he wuld not be detained any length of time.
When all else failed, the transient could generally find a
•jungle" on the outskirts of the town along the railroad rightof-wa, inhabited by a group of bis fellow travelers, where
questionable food and doubtful shelter might be obtained.
Under such circumstances it is not surprising that rumors
and reports were current that an •army of boys" was riding up
and down the length and breadth of the country, desperate and
anti-social, living to themselves along the tracks, begging
and stealing food and 110ney, corrupted by the older tramps
and hoboes, a threat to morals, peace, and property; in short,
just such a aroup as has been described with lurid details in
the Sunda, supplements as the "wild boys I and girls I of Russia".
These rumors and reports were not without some basis in
fact. Railroad employees confirmed the report of unprecedented
travel on the freight trains of transcontinental lines. The
Chief Special Agent of one of the railroads in the Southwest
made the following report at a Senate bearing:

•on the ltssourt Pact ftc Ratlroaa we haue been
tr11tnf to POI/ so■e attentton to 111hat we pt
one tt ■e called •ttratorv labor; that ts, the
transtent ,wve■ ent... 'lie took o(ftctal nottce
tn 1928, of 13,7'5 tran~tents, trespassers
that w found on our tratns and property.
•In 1929 that ftture was 13,875.
In 1930
we took a record of 23,892.
•In 1931 that volu■e Ju■ped to 186,028.
to
•In 1932 ti receded a ltttle btt
1-49,773•••

As a result of naors that large numbers of transient boys
were roaainir the couatrJ, tile Uai ted States Children's Bureau
ia the spriag of 1932 made a brief survey of the situ at ion.
lnforaatioa w a• obtaiaed bot II froa correspondeace with local
officials and froa tile first-bud reports of a representative
who visited points in the South and West. 1 In the report' of
lse&rl11&• 011 s. 15121, January, 1933, 1111. 35-3'. Se• AP.Pendl& .l. Row ■ &Ill'
■ore rode the tra1111 wltllOut eorr1c1&1 notice• la a ■ atter or cooJacture,
but lt la probable that, at leaat, th•J equalled the nu ■ ber observed. or
courae, there were ■ an, dupUcat1ona, that le, ■ en obaerved at two or ■ ore
Pointe on the ea■ e tr1P, or on dltterent trip& w1th1D the year. But tnen
tbia wu only one or the rallroada tnat round lta rrelgnt tralna carrying
1':!'- unuau&l nuaber or truaienu.
Sile teat1 ■on1 or Proreaaor .l. w. 1tct11ll1n, Un1V1re1t1or Cb1c&go, Hearing•
on S. 6121, pp. 40-60. Sae Ap1111na1.1. .l.
Twantlatb Alulual Reportort11e Cblet ot the Clalldr&R'• Bureau, oonrn■eai Prllltlll& 0 ,u ... W. . .lll&'OD, D. c., WM, pp. 6--7 •

's.•

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

this survey no attempt was made to estimate the total nllllber of
men and boys on the road; but evidence was cited to show that
the situation was particularly acute in the Southwest:
"Alont the route of the Southern Pac tftc
(Railroad) 11an11 saall towns tn Texas, New
I/ex tco, and. Arizona reported the datlv
passin~ of about 200 111en ana boys durtq
the winter and. sprtnt.
The Santa fe
(Railroad) at Albuquerque auer~ed 75 a
day. From September 1, 1931, to Aprtl 30,
1932, the Southern Paciftc, with9,130 11tles
of track, recorded 416,915 trespassers
ejected."
"In Phoentx, Arizona, durint the three and.
a half nwnths ended Aprtl 4, 1932, the
Volunteers of Amertca report feedi,it and.
lodei~ 1.529 different boys under 21 • ••
Yu.ma, (Arizona) which ts on thB a.atn Southern
Pacific Line, reported feed int approxt•ately
30,000 men and. boys at tts 'soup kitchen'
from Nouember 1 to I/arch 15. At least onefifth were reported as under 21."
"Social workers, poltce, and. ratlroad a.en,
who are Ln constant touch with these transient boys, assert their bel tef that the
ouerwhelmint majority of the• would normally be in school or at work; that they
are 'on th6 road' because there ts nothtfli
else to do; that they are, on the whole, not
of the habitual 'hobo' or criminal type."

From these and similar observations, there seemed to be a
factual basis for estimating the number 01 transients in tbe
country as a whole at well over a million persons; and there
is little question that estimates were influenced by the belief
that conditions in the Southwest were typical of other sections
where the transient was less readily observed -because of greater
population density.
Although the transient problem was, and
continued to be, serious in the Southwest, the number of transients, both men and boys, who received relief from transient
shelters and camps in these areas, never approached the number
suggested by these observations.
(3) The emphasis on the number of boys on the road was a

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THE ORIGIN OF THB TRANSIENT RBLIEF PROGRAM

compound of sentiment and propaganda. Transient boys were good
newspaper "copy", and special articles, personal accounts, and
draaatic stories appeared in many of the metropolitan papers.
Little was written of the older transients and homeless, the
bu■s,
the hoboes, and the migratory lftlrkers, except to bold
them up as the awful examples of what was in store for this
"amy of youth".
Private agencies that for years had given
some form of assistance to the homeless-transient and resident-saw in this growing concern for one part of the homeless
population support for their argument that assistance was needed
for the entire group; they knew that public opinion and legislatiYe support would be more readily influenced by the dramatic
aspects of youth on the march than by the drab and prosaic accounts of the hopeless disintegration of old 111en.
For many years these agencies, with but indifferent support
fro111 the public, had been the only source of assistance for the
homeless person, young or old, resident or transient.
At a
time when relief was foremost in the public mind, when demands
were being aade for Federal assistance for the resident unettployed,· these agea.cies, firm in their insistence that the h011eless needy ■ ust not continue to be a neglected eroup, andanaed
with years of experience, presented their case in its aost c011pelling aspect.
It should be evident froa this discussion of what seea to be
tbe principal factors accounting for the over-estimates of tbe
transient population, that there was a real need for infomation
from the countrJ at large, concerning the number requiring usistaace. This need wu recognized by the Co11111ittee on Care of
Trusient and Hoaeless (a private organization of proainent
social wrkersl which undertook two surveys under the direction
of Dr. Nels Anderson-the first in January, and the second in
Harcb of 1933.
It was the preliminary results of the first
survey which were used by Dr. Anderson in estimating the size
of the transient-homeless population at one and one-half aillion in his testimony at one of the Senate hearings 1 on transient relief. The second survey, made in March, 1933, to check
the January returns, resulted in an estimate of one to one and
one-quarter million persons. 2
These two surveys provided the most conservative estimates
1 see HearlD&& oo 8, 6t2t, Jaouar1, tQ33, p, 86.

Dr. Anderaoo took care to
Pol11t out that the ruulta ••re teotatlu, and tbat tbeJ ••r• aecured •ltb
cooalderable 4U t1c11lt7 and •1 tbout. a4BQuate opportuo1t1 to coeck 'tb•
f!Ccurac1 or tb• ret.uroa.
8•• Eller1 r. •••4, re4•ral Tranale11t Proaraa, an EY&luatlY• SurYeJ, Tb•
CoMltt•• oa Care ot Traoeuot ucl Koael•••• pp, tQ-2.0, Ne• Tork, tQ34.
See &lao, 11111 Alacl1rao11, Balt a "1111011 Old Keo llltbout Koau, Social
leour1t1, Deo1■,1r, ti!!; aa4 Oertr~4• 8pr11111r, 8teP Cll114reD ot a.11,r,

Tlae lllrHJ,

.J11■ 1,

ttSS.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

of the transient-homeless population; and, comini; when they did,
undoubtedly played a part in obtaining special provision " ••••
to aid need.) persons who have no legal settlement, ••. " in the
Relie! Act of 1933, which was passed a few months later. Although the estimates from these surveys were made from actual
count in many cities, there was at the time no basis for differentiating transient from resident homeless. As ameasure of the
size of the needy homeless population-transient and residentthese surveys probably understated rather than overstated the
number. It is highly probable that a census confined to agencies caring for the homeless would seldom include all of the
homeless needy. 1 But, as was soon discovered, the estimates
from these surveys did not agree with the number of transient
homeless who were to receive relief under the Transient Relief
Pro~ram.

The Size of the Transient Population-Registrations for Relief
With no more infonnation asto the number of transient unemployed than was to ue found in the incomplete reports of the
private social agencies, the local relief committees, and the
two surveys of the Couuni t tee on Care of Transient and Homeless,
the Federal Emergency Relief Administration inaugurated the
Transient Relief Program in the summer of 1933.
The records
of those first months of operation are so confused that they
are of little value.
It was not until January 1934 that reporting procedures were sufficiently established to permit anything approaching an accurate account of the number in the transient relief group; and then, it was discovered that the number
of transients eligible for relief was far below the estimates
that had been made. At first it was believed that this was the
direct result of. the reluctance of States to apply for funds
to aid the needy non-resident; and special efforts were 01ade
to establish transient relief programs in each of the fortyeight States and the District of Columbia. But even when all

1Tbe coaaon practice or 11unlctp&1 lodging houses and many or the private
agencies 111aa to allow resident ho ■ eless on!J three nights or i.Odglng a
aonth, and tile non-resident only one; tills probably excluded many or the
ho ■ eless group troa both or these censuses.
Dr. Anderson, 1n d1scuss1ng
his estiaatea, aad• tile interesting coaaent:

"And iuhat abo"t tile oia bt.a - t/19 fe Liow iuho constH"Us sixty to seventy
P•r c•nt of th• br•aaline po~iation? fllese f•llows rarely eet co"nted.
fll•y conireeate in tile iaree cities.
T•ar aft•r y•ar th•y eo tile ro"nds
Lu,ini by odd jobs, '•oocllinc' and hane,ne aro"nd tile <Jienci•s or th•
saloons. J Laree n-b•r of th•• .anae• to eet by witllo"t contact,ni any
Oi•ncies or only ssu:11 ~encies as WO'-ld not r•port in tile case of an in11entor-y which ..,. tr-ied to conduct. filer-• is no way I llno1u of co"ntine tile
~•d and d•r-•hct lloa•less of tile enat cities. It is •J conviction th•J
far- O'-tnM&ber- the •obi Le yo"th in o"'" tr-ansient caaps."
rro■ a ■ e■ orandu■ to tbe wr1ter, Ha, 31, 191\5.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

but one of the States (Ver.oontl had programs in operation, the
nu111ber of transients remained far below the estimates of a
11illion or more.
Despite the steady improvement in reporting procedures developed by the Division of Transient Activities, it was never
possible to determine with any degree of accuracy the size of
the transient relief population.
Actually, the transient unemployed were not a definite and fixed group in the total relief population.
On the contrary, the transient unemployed
were a relief population that changed its membership constantly,
and was never the same on any two days in any one place. It
was a population that included some who crossed the continent
within a month; some whose movements were restricted to a radius of a hundred milesof the place they once called home; and
still others who drifted slowly from North to Sou th, or East
to West, and back as the seasons, employment opportunities,
rumor, or curiosity directed.
The measurement and description of the transient relief
population was a decidedly different problem from that presented
by the larger resident relief group. The mobility of the for•er stood in contrast with the immobility of the latter. The
tw censuses of the Committee on Care of Transient and Homeless
(Januar, and March, 19331, were evidence that even the apparently simple task of counting the transients was :nore complex
than had been realized. The Division of Transient Activities
was concerned with the administration of transient relief, and
its reports 1 were designed primarily to show the number and
type of transient relief cases. If transiency, as a depression
pheao■ enon,
was to be studied, a s;>ecial investigation was
needed.
Therefore, early in 1934, the Division of Research,

1the

DlYlSlon or Transient

■ lmeographed

Activities usued the

following reports In

tora:

C11n.sw of ff'Gfl.ti1111b f/11411.- Can. A 11ld-montblJ count by States ancl type
or case (1.e., unattached, faallY groups, Interstate, Intrastate, local
homeless), ot the total nwiber or persons recelYlng relief In centers and
cups during tt11 24-nour period ot ttie liitb or l!ltll or tile ■ ontn.
Tne
rtrst census was taJr.en on february 15, 1934; but tne tlrst report Issue.:!
was tbat ot tbe APrll te census. Sullllllarles or these censuses, beginning
wttb that ot r1bruar1 15, 19:54, are to be touncl In the Monthly Report or
tbe Federal r.mergency Reltet Aclalnlstratlon, Government Prl9tlng orrtce,
Washington, D. C.
Cefl.fl>S Repo.-& 011 Aze, RQ,t;e alld Sex, of All lfldividuals Un.dfl.,. Ca.,.e.
.l
quarterly censua ot all persons under care ln centers and c&111ps on tne
laat d&Y ot tbe quarter, consolidated tor toe United States. Tbe first
censua or tbl& type was taken on September :'IO, tQ:54, and Issued ln ttn&l
tor■ on Narcb 4, tQ~.
0'1'if'" of Pe.-so"s lece,11i."i le ii.11/ at lach. State f.-a"sieflt Divi.si.011. .l
q11arterly cenaus or &11 persons under care ln centers and cups on the
laat Cla, or tn• quarter. by .States, s1iow1n1 the State ot or111n. Thi tlrst
cenaua of tbta type waa tu.en on S1pteab1r 30, tQM, and lsaueci lo Karcb,
1188.
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\
(

THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

Statistics, and Finance of the Federal Emergenc7 Relief Administration undertook, in the fonn of a special study, the task of
providing detailed information about the transient relief population for the use of the Relief Administration and for such
other individuals and organizations as were interested in this
particular relief problem.
This study, made by the Research
Section, was based upon transient relief registrations in thirteen cities which were selected on a basis of their importance
as transient centers and their representativenessof the several
sections of the United States. 1
For more than a year, May 19 3q through Ju.ie 1935, the
Research Section collected, tabulated, and analyzed data drawn
At the
from the registrations of transients in these cities.
time the study was started a choice had to be made between two
methods of collecting in!onnation: ( 1) a periodic census of all
those under care on one full day; and (2) a continuous account
of all who registered day by day and month by month. The census method, when applied to the transient population, may be
likened to the periodic closing of the entrance::; and exits of
a large railway stat ion for the purpose of counting those just
come and those about to go; while the methodof continuous registrations may be likened to the gate keeper's daily record of
all those who come and go. It should be apparent that neither
m.ethod provides an exact account of those in transit; but it
should also be apparent that the two methods set an upper and
lower limit to the population in any one month.
The census
method understates the population because it cannot include
those en route; while the registration method overstates the
population by reporting the more mobile individuals at two or
more points within the same registration period.
Although it
was not known that these two methods would yield strikingly
different results when applied to the transient relief population, it was decided to base the Research Section's study on
continuous registrations, summarized 111onthly. 2
lnitsmonthly reports of total registrationsandcases under
care, the Division of Transient Activities employed both the
registration and the census method of collecting data. 3 The
striking difference in the results obtained can be seen in

l.rbe cltles were: Boston, Cblcago, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonvl.1.le (Fla. l.
Kansas Clty (110. ), Los Angeles, 11eme>b1s, Hlnneac,olls, New Orleans, Pboenlx,
llttsburgh, and Seattle.
For the month.l.Y summaries and other rec,orts rrom thls study, see Research
BulletlnsNos. 8-26, 8-32, 8-55, C-12, C-16, D-7, TR-1, TR-2, TR-3, TR-4,
TR-5, TR-6, TR-7, TR-B, TR-9, Research Section, Federa.J. Emergency Reller
Adm1n1strat1on, Washington, D. c.
3eecause or the practice or the Dlvlslon or Transient Actlvl tles or 1ssu1n.,
monthly the results obtained by the census method, the equa.J.ly slgn1t1cant
reg1strat1011 data have frequently been overlooked.

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TBE

ORIGII OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

Chart I. wtucn represents total registrations of unattached transients and the number under care in the Unitea States for the
fifteen-month period January 1934 through April 1935. The
solid line represents continuous registrations by month::;, and
the broken line the number under care on the 15th of each month,
February 1934 through April 1935. The data ·from wLich this
chart was made are to be found iu Table 1, ~pendix tl.
The one-day, mid-monthly census of unattached transients
(i.e., the unaccompanied individual) shows a fairly steady increase, February through December l93ij, while total registrations mount sharply from f'ebruary through August and then decline irre"ularly until the marked increase of Maren 1935.
Total registrations were ::;trongly affected by sea::;onal influences, while the mid-monthly census was singularly free from
these influences.
In March of both 193 1t and 1935, the registration of unattached transients turned upward with the return
of moderate weather; and in 1934, the increase continued -until
September, when the approach of fall and winter weather reduced
mobility and, consequently, registrations.
The decline from
the August peak. continued irregularly throughout the winter
months until th.e seasonal expansion of "March 1935 reversed
the trend.
In comparinl registrations in March 1934 with those in
March 1935, it is apparent that the seasonal increase in the
latter year began at a higher level.
This reflects both the
growth in the n11111ber of unattached transients receiving relief
during the year. and particularly the increase in facilities
for their care. It does not necessarily mean that the number
of unattached transients increased during this period; probably
it means little more than that transients who formerly went
without care or were forced to depend on over-night shelter in
■ issions and jails came into the transient bureaus as facilities
were expanded. 1.
This explanation is supported by reference to the number of
unattached transients under care on the 15th of each month durin& the period under consideration. (See 11id-11onthl1 census,
1A ro11p idea or t.h1 1.111ua10n cu b1 1a1n1d rroa th• ro11owln1 U111r1a:
C•P•
r1bl'lla17,

C•P• llDdll' CODltl'llCtlOD

1ta

Narlh, ttU

It lhould bl uncleratood that & c111hr CID h&'II ■ ID7 .suU,r.s and that
th1r1 wu a 1reacer 1uanalon or raclll
tor car, than the aall 1ncr1u1 ln c . . e,r.s would lndloat.1,

it••

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

Chart I. I From February 1931', when this census began, thro11ell
December 1931' the number under care increased each 110ath;
thereafter a slight decline set in. During the twelve aonths,
r,!arch 1931' to March 1935, the number under care as reported
by the mid-monthly census increasetl by 92 percent, while registrations in March 1935 were 101' percent higher than in March
of the previous year. This suggests that the mid-monthly census provides a fairly accurate description of the trend in trusient relief activities, while the monthly registrations describe the seasonal uartatton.
Seasonal influences played a lesser part in registrations of
transient family groups than was the case with unattached transients. On the other hanJ, the number of families under care
rose more rapidly; and at all times during the period Februa17
1931' through April 1935 the number under care reported by the
mid-monthly census varietl from almost twice to more than three
times the number of registrations during the month. (See Chart
II; and Table I, Appentlix B. I From this it appears that the
family groups came into the transient relief population at a
lower rate, antl tended to remain under care in one place a
lont::er periotl of time, than ditl the unattached transients 1 •
Registrations in the thirteen cities which served as tile
basis for the Research Section's special study of transieate
are shown in Chart III; and in Table I, Appendix B.
There i•
apparent in these tlata a general agreement with the result•
for the country as a whole, shown in Charts I and II.
A co.plete comparison for the fifteen-month period is not possible,
since data for the thirteen cities are not available prior to
May 1931'. However, from May through August, registrations of
unattached transients in the thirteen cities increased whee
registrations for the country as a whole were increasing, and
turned downward at the same point.
The decline, while aore
ret::ular in the thirteen cities, was of approximately the s•e
proportion as for the country as a whole, and terminated at
the same point, February 1935.
Registrations of transient
family groups correspond only in part: there was the increase
to a peak in August 1931', the low point in February 193!5,
and the absence of wide seasonal fluctuations.
The purpose of this brief discussion of registrations for
the country as a whole is: (1) to fix an upper and lower liait
to the size of the transient relief population; (2) to demonstrate the difference in returns obtained from reports of 110ntbly reg i st rat ions and from the mid-monthly census; and ( 3) to

1i-roor or the lower ■oblllt7 ot tranaleat t•ll1 1ro11pa u
Chapter 4.
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l~O 000

JOO 000

. . . 000

----~--+----

REGISTRATIONS

ZOO 000 - - - - - -

, . . 000 t - - - - - - t - -

100

ooo -- -

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----i,,------_., -~
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MIO-MONTHLY C~NSUS
I

.. O O O t - - - t - - - + - - - - t - -

0 _ ___._______......_......____.._....._...._........___._ _......_........___.._....._....._........_ . _ _ _

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Ill!

CHART I

REGISTRATIONS AND MID-MONTHLY CENSUS
UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS
UNITED STATES TOTAL

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CHART ll

REGISTRATIONS AND MID-MONTHLY CENSUS
TRANSIENT FAMILY GROUPS
UNITED STATES TOTAL

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THE ORIGIN OF THE TRANSIENT RELIEF PROGRAM

show that registrations in the thirteen c1t1es included in the
Research Section's study varied much as did registrations in
the country as a whole.
Host of the findings of this report
are conditioned by one or more of these factors.
Throughout
the pages that follow, frequent reference will be made to "the
transient relief population", although the number of persons
included in that population can be determined only by approximation between limits that changed from month to month.
In
the description of the personal characteristics of this population most of the data are taken from records of continuous
registrations, although it is known that the distribution of
some of these characteristics differed significantly when taken
from the records of a one-dccy census. And finally, the greater
part of the data used in describing the transient relief population wasobtained from registrations in thirteen study cities,
where purely local circumstances occasionally had a marked,
though temporary, effect upon registrations. In justification
of the use of data from thirteen cities to describe the larger
population, it is argued that acomplete and detailed description
of the total population was impossible; that the cities selected
were well distributed geogra;.ihically; and that total registrations in these cities not only varied much as did registrations
in the country as a wnole, uut represented from 7.1 to 8.8
percent of all unattached transients registered each month, and
from 11.'5 to 1'5.9 percent of all transient family groups.

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Chapter I I

THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TBI
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION
In view of the confusion that existed as to the number of
needy non-residents before the Transient Relief Program was
initiated, it is not surprising to find that nothing was known
of their personal characteristics.
Using data obtained from
registrations in the thirteen study cities, this chapter will
be devoted to a description of the transient relief population
in terms of the conventional categories of social statistics.
Because it is believed that this information is important in
itself, the emphasis throughout this chapter will be upon statistical description.
However, brief interpretations are included whenever the data permit. The reader who is interested
in only a general statement of personal characteristics is
referred to the final section of the report, where a brief
summary of this chapter is presented.
This chapter will be concerned with a description of the
age, sex, color or nativity, marital status, and education of
unattached transients and beads of family groups. For reasons
which will become apparent, the unaccompanied individual, or
to use the established terminology, the unattached transient,
will be treated separately from the responsible individual, or
"head", of a group traveling together. On the basis of registrations, unattached transients consistently represented ■ore
than four-fifths of all persons-unattached, family heads,
and other members of family groups-included in the transient
relief population; but on the basis of the mid-monthly census
the proportion of unattached transients varied from three-fifths
to one-half of the total population. Since the transient group,
or "family", consisted on the average of three persons, only
one of whom, the "head", is considered in most of the descriptions which follow, the preponderance of unattached transients
is accentuated.
Age
Among the personal characteristics of the transient relief
population, perhaps the most striking is age.
During the
twelve-month period, May 193q through April 1935. two-thirds
or more of the unattached transients registered in the thirteen
study cities were under thirty-five years of age, and the median age was consistently under thirty years.
(See Table 2a,

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UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS

TRANSIENT FAMILY GROUPS

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CHART Ill

TRANSIENT REGISTRATIONS-13 CITIES

IHS

...

I
II

UNATTACHCD

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KACtHT

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ACSIOCNT HOMELESS PERSONS

•
~

AND

IN ffARS

OVlll

HEADS OF FAI.CILIES

AG(

IN YltARS

CHART lV

DISTRIBUTION OF AGE BY SINGLE YEARS.
TRANSIENTS REGISTERED IN 13 CITIES. APRIL, 1935.

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TB! P!RSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OP' THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

Appeadix B.)
During the sue period the percentage of uaattached transients forty-five years of age or older varied frca
a low of 12 percent to a high of 16 percent, indicating clearly
that transiency was the resort of the younger members among the
unemployed in the general population. But the evident youth of
the unattached was not a con! irmatioa of the dire predict ion
that an "army of boys" was on the road. In none of the twelve
months reported in Table 2a does the proportion of unattached
transients under twenty years of age exceed one-fifth of the
total.
By far the 111ajority of the unattached transients were
between the ages of twenty and forty-! ive years, with the greatest concentration between twenty and thirty-fiYe years of age.
The youth o! the unattached transient relief population is well
illustrated in Chart IV, which shows, by single years, the age
of uaattached transients, resident homeless persons, and heads
of faaily groups registered ia the thirteen study cities during
April 1935.
Both before and during the operation of the Transient Relief
Program, interest was centered on the youngest group in the
traasient population-the boys and girls under twenty years of
age. It has been stated above that the number of juveniles on
the road was found to be less than had been predicted; nevert heless, they represented a social problem greater than their number indicated. The proportion of younger transients varied with
the seasons; increasing during the spring and summer 110nths when
weather conditions were favorable to travel, and decreasing during the fall and winter months when inclement weather restricted
mobility.
Aaong the unattached fransients registered for relief in the
thirteen study cities, the proportion under twenty years of age
rose from 15 percent in May 1934, to 20 percent in July and
August, and fell to 12 percent in December, 1934. In general,
the proportion of younger transient::; rose when registrations
were increasing, and fell when registrations were declining.
!See Chart III, for registratious,I However, the proportiou of
trusients under henty years of age increased slightly in both
January and February, 1935, when the trend of registration in
the thirteen cities ( and in the country as a wholel was aownward, preceding b~ two months the expected seasonal rise in
registrations which occurreu in March.
The seasonal variation in the proportion of younger transients
differed markedly in the several sections of the country.
In
August 1934, when registrations were at a maxi~um, Boston reported t-hat q percent of the unattached transi~nts were under
twenty years of age, compared with 6 percent in February 1935,
when registrations were at a 11ini111um.
Evidently Boston (and

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

probably most of Ne"i England) did not attract the younger transients.
In contrast, Chicago reported that 7 percent of the
unattached were under twenty years of age in December 193Q,
and in January 1935, when registrations were declining; and
21 percent in August 193Q, when registrations were at a peak.
The highest proportions of younger transients were reported by
cities in the South and the Southwest.
One-quarter of the
unattached transients registered in Jacksonville, Florida, in
August 193Q, were under twenty years of age; New Orleans reported 21.l percent in August; and so did both Dallas and Los
Angeles in June and July, 193'-l. In each of these cities, total
registrations were lower during the su111111er than during the winter months, exactly the opposite of the situation in such cities
as Chicago, Denver, and Pittsburgh. However, in twelve of the
thirteen cities studied, the proportion of transients under
twenty years of age was highest during the su1111er months.
The general conclusion to be drawn is that the younger transients came into the population during the summer months; and
this applies to areas where registrations iiere low during these
months as well as to areas where registrations were - high. The
increase in the proportion of younger transients occurred at the
same time that registrations were increasing in the country as
a whole, as well as in the thirteen cities as a group. But the
rise in registrations was only partly the result of the increase
in the number of younger transients. In absolute nuabers there
was an increase in the number of transients in all age groups,
but the relative increase tended to be 110re pronounced among
the younger group.
In considering the reasons for the summer increase in the
registrations of the younger group, it seems probable that the
correspondence between the increase in registrations and the
occurrence of the school vacation period was more than a coincidence. This does not imply that all of the increase can be
explained by this circumstance, but only that recruits from the
school group during the vacation period were of considerable
importance. Careful interviewing of the younger transient frequently elicited the frank statement that he was on the road
less from economic necessity than from a desire to see the
country when favorable weather aud facilities for his care made
transiency preferable to inactivity in his home community.
Moreover, there seems little question that during the depression
years, high school and college students fouud little of the
employment that once occupied them during the sulllffler 111onths.
Under the circumstances it is not surprising that, during the
vacation period, some of the more adventurous students froa the
schools and colleges of the country should have been included
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THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

among the registered transients. In this connection it is sig-

nificant that cities in the South and Southwest,

which traditionally possessed a strong attraction for the younger group,
reported the highest proportion of transients under twenty years
of il€e during the summer months when total registrations in
these areas were low.
By their own report, States that particularly appealed to the younger transient were Florida, Louisiana I particularly New Orleansl, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and
California. Not to have visited these States seems to have been
considered a mark of the novice. In addition to those who expected to resume their schooling in the fall, there were also
those whose formal education had ended with the close of the
school term and who therefore faced the necessity of self-support.
During a period of prolonged unemployment it might be expected
that the transient population would receive additions from this
annual increase in the labor supply.
The heads of family groups were, on the whole, somewhat older
titan the unattached transients. I See Table 2b, Appendix B; and
Chart IV.I However, the difference was more the result of the
very small proportion of family heads under twenty years of age,
and, compared with the unattached, the smaller proportion twenty
to twenty-four years of age, than of any great increase in the
proportion of family heads advanced· in years. This is evident
from a comparison of the proportions of each group forty-five
years of age and older.
Among the unattaclied the proportion
varied from 12 to 16 percent; while among the heads of family
groups the variation was from 18 to 22 percent.
Further compari:;on of the distributions in Tables 2a and 2u shows tnat
while the proportion ofunattaclied transients twenty to t..ent~iour years of age was consistently higher t11an in the case of
family heads, the reverse was true of the proportions twenty-five
to thirty-four, and thirty-five to forty-four years of age. Tl,e
greatest concentration of ages for the unattached was between
twenty and thirty-five year:; of age, with the median age between
twenty-five and thirty years; the greatest concentration of ages
for family heads was between twent,>-five and iorty-iive years
of age, with the median age between thirty-three and lhirty-five
years.
Therefore, as measured by tile medians, the heaJs of
family groups were from five to eight years older than the unattached.
Although the heads of transient family groups were in general
somewhat older than the unattached, they were youni.er than either
the heads of resident relief families or those in the population
at large.
Here, :is wi ti1 the unattached transient, there is
evidence of a close relationship between youth andmobili ty; but,
in the case of fclllilf iroup beads, a mobility that was seriously
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

restricted by the presence of women and children, and by the
difficulties of travel by a group without adequate resources.
It was suggested earlier in this report that transiency was
a depression migration of unemployed persons and family groups.
It may now be added that transiency was a depression migration
of individuals and family groups from among the younger members
of the great body of the unemployed. Family groups. even more
than the unattached, are evidence of the social and economic
pressure that created a mooile population of needy unemployed,
since the transiency of family groups represented a much more
definite break with home and community life than did the wanderings of unattached transients who frequently had a home to
which they could return.
It is highly probable that the completeness of the break with community life was an important
factor in keeping the number of transient familie;, considerably
under the number of unattached transients. But this consideranon should serve to stress the important social problem that
is raised when family groups turn to transiency as the means of
finding a place where they can again be self-supporting.
This discussion of age would be incomplete without some mention of the resident, or local, homeless persons who, until the
ope rat ion of the Transient Relief Program demonstrated otherwise•
were believed to be an integral part of the transient population.
Though technically excluded from relief as transients because
they had leg al settlement. or the presumption of settlement, in
the community, the resident homeless unattached were frequently
cared for by the transient bureaus in accordance with an ad ■ ini
strative arrangement which centralized the care of all unattached
homeless persons. It was noted in Chapter 1 that the resident
homeless unattached persons represented a social problem that
was well known in the larger cities.
In this chapter it will
be possible to show that the transient and resident homeless
differed as to personal characteristics. and particularly as
to age.
The transient bureaus in only six of the thirteen cities included in the Research Section's study accepted resident homeless relief cases; 1 but from these six cities enough cases were
reported to determine the age characteristics of this group.
The age distribution of resident homeless registered for relief
during the period Octoller 1934 through April 1935, is shown
in Table 2c, Appendix B; and for one month (April 1935) by
single·years, in Chart IV.
The resident homeless were a distinctly older group than

l.rhe c1t1es were: Denver,
P1ttsburgt, aud Seattle.

Jacll.sonv1lle (Fla.), Los Augeles, K1nne11PolU,

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TRI PERSONAL CBARACTBRISTICS OP THI
TIANSIBNT IILIBP POPULATION

tile trusient relief population. This can be showa most readily

b7 tile differeace ia the proportion under twenty-the years and
o•er forty-foar yeus of age, ud by the median age, in c011parisoa vi.tit these sae ■ easures taken from the age distributions
of uaattached transients aadof heads of transient fanily groups.
Wllea this is done for the comparable period, October 1931.J
tllroarll April 1935, tbe results as derived froa Tables 2a, b,
aad c, Appendix B, are:
PERCENT
UNDER 25
YEARS
UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS
HEADS OF FAMILY GROUPS
RESIDENT HOMELESS UNATTACHED

"14
YEARS

OVER

YEARS
MEDIAN
A6E

37 TO I.J2 12 TO 16 27 TO 30
15 TO 17 18 TO 22 33 TO 35
6 TO 8 q() TO q9 I.J2 TO q5

Proa this coaparison l t is evident that not only were the
resideat b0111eless uaattacbed distinctly older thaa the transient
unattached with whOlll they are 110st nearly C0111parable, but that
they were likewise older tban the heads of fainily groups. Actually, the coaparison with faaily heads is not valid since
resident homeless failies were not given relief in transient
bureaus; but the coaparisoa is interesting becau-se it shows
that the resident homeless were older thaa either of the transient groups.
Lest it be objected that the data used were not representathe because only a part of the homeless in these six cities
were included in the transient bureau registrations, and that.
tllerefore, the age characteristics obtained are not valid, col'roborating etidence as to the age of the resident homeless in
New York City aa, be offered from a study 11ade by Dr. Nels
Anderson.
In discussing the age distribution of 19,861 resideat hoaeless men reeistered at the Central Registration Bureau, New York CitJ, October 1931 to April 1932, Dr. Anderson
states:
•11e note that 8.2 ,ercent of the Central
Re,tatraUon Bureau ho11eless are under
25 11eara ••• In the 1dddl e-a~e troup, the
ho.eless bulk larte ••• 'l'hus, the h<Mleless
populatton tn Jew Tork ts larSelv atddleated ■ en. wtth a aeatan a;e of about 41

uears •••

1-eia Aia4eraoa, TIie Hoaeuaa 1D Ne• Tork Cl r.1 ( ■l ■■ ocrapbld), w,uar, Co11acll or••• Tork c1r.7, rebrY■r1, tt34, pp. tes-1ee.
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THE TRANSIENT UNEHPLOTBD

Furthermore, Dr. Anderson points out that the median age of
14,194 homeless men enumerated by the 1930 Census in the Bowery
area of New York City was forty-two years, and that the median
age of homeless men at two of the Salvation Army's industrial
plants were forty-one and forty-seven years, respectively. The
remarkably close agreement between Dr. Anderson's findings for
the homeless of New York City and the returns from six of the
cities included in the Research Section's study of transients,
seems to leave little doubt as to the age differential between
the resident homeless and the transient groups.
Before closing this discussion of age characteristics, something should be said of the difference uetween age distributions
obtained by the Research Division's study from continuous reg istrations in thirteen cities, and those obtained by the Division
of Transient Activities from a one-day quarterly census. In the
discussion of registration trends it was demonstrated that the
two methods of obtaining data on the transient relief populationcontinuous registrations and a periodic census-provided rel urns that differed markedly. The difference 111ay be demonstrated
further by comparing age data derived from continuous registrations in thirteen cities with age data from a quarterly census
for the country as a whole.
The age distribution of all unattached persons under care on
March 31, 1935, as reported to the Division of Transient Activ1t1es, showed that.23 percent were under twenty-five years of
age; that 32 percent were over forty-five years; and that the
median age was approximately thirty-six years.
In contrast,
the age distribution of unattached transients registered in the
thirteen study cities during the month of March 1935, showed
that 42 percent were under twenty-five years of age; that 12
percent were over forty-five years; and that the median age was
between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years.
Measured by the
medians, the unattached were from eight to nine years older when
the census method was used to determine age than when the method
was that of continuous registrations.
Similar contrasts were
found for other quarterly census returns. A comparison of the
age characteristics of family group heads is not possible since
the Transient Division's quarterly census 1 does not distinguish
heads from other members of family groups.
There are at least twa known factors that assist in explainini this marked difference in ii€e characteristics obtained from

1see rootnote 1, page t9, Chapter 1, ror a description or tbe Trana1ent D1Y1s1on•s quarterly census. Age was reported separately for all llll&ttaehed
persons a.nd aH ramuy group persona, but the age or C•ll1 1roup beads •••
not reported separately rro ■ tbe age or other 11e■b1ra or tbe raa111 1roup.

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THE P!RSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

the registration and from the census method of collecting data.
The !irst, and most important, is the difference in mobility oI
young and old. Most of the older transients had seen enough of
the country to satisfy their curiosity; and they knew how little
chance there was of a homeless man forty-five years of age, or
older, finding employment during the depression. As a result,
they tended to accumulate in transient bureaus and camps, where
they were counted at each census.
On the other nand, the
younger transients-and particularly those under twenty-five
years of age-were impatient of transient bureaus and camps.
Curiosity led them into every part of the country; and for some
tiae at least after joining the transient population, they
honestly believed that employment could be found in some place
other than in their home community. As a result, they were by
far the aost aobile group in the relief population; the few reports on length of stay in transient bureaus by age groups show
that ti.le tra ■sients under twenty-five years of age stayed on the
average less than three days. From this it seems obvious that
the ■ore ■obile the person, the more time he spent outside of
transient bureaus, and, therefore, the greater the chance of
being ■issed by a one-day census at three-month intervals.
But it is also apparent that the more mobile individuals
would be included ■ore than once in a continuous account of the
registrations for the country as a whole and for the thirteen
cities as a group, during any one month.
Therefore, it seems
loeical to conclude that age distributions derived from continaous registrations in the thirteen cities were weighted by the
7ounger and ■ore ■obile persons, •.,;bile age distributions derived
fr011 a one-day quarterly census were weighted by the older and
less ■obile persons.
The second, ud less iaportant, factor making for the older
age of unattached transients as reported by the ~uarterly census is that the resident homeless, a distinctly older group,
were included b7 soae of the centers where both resident and
transient ho■eless were given care by transient bureaus. While
efforts were ■adetoavoid confusing the two groups, it is known
that such contusion did occur, with the result that the age
level of unattached transients was raised to some extent.

Sex
The ■ore sensational accounts of the transient population
written prior to the inauguration of the Transient Relief Prograa
iaplied tlaat the presence of woaen aJld girls on the road was a

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

social problem second only to that of the transient boy. 1 In
the absence of any definite knowledge concerning the transient
population, theexceptional case could be exploited and, by implication, exaggerated all out of proportion, without fear of
contradiction.
Thus the girl transient, from a few lurid and
sensational accounts, assumed an importance in the public mind
that the undramatic reports from transient bureaus have not
entirely corrected. Among the inquiries about the transient
that came to the Research Section and Transient Division, the
question, "How ma.ii/ women are there on the road?" was almost as
frequent as que::,tions about the transient boy.
The answer i::, that, relatively, unattached women were a
111inor proble111 in the provision of relief to the transient unemplore<l. The proportion of unattached women included in the
re 6 istrations in the thirteen cities studied by the Research
Sectiou are presented, by months, in Table 3, Appendix B.
There it is seen that women constituted only about 2 percent
o! the total unattached transient population and that this
proportion was fairly coustant, month after month. Nor is the
sex ratio materially altered when detennineJ from the quarterly
census 2 of all unattached persons under care as reported to the
Division of Transient Activities. Out of approximately 170,000
unattached transients reported by the December 31, 193q, census
and a like number by the census of March 31, 1935, only about
q, 700 or 2 .8 percent, were women. However, there is no in tent ion in this account of minimizing the problem of unattached
an<l homeless w0111en transients by demonstrating their relatively
minor proportion of the total. The very fact that unattached
women were inclu<led among the unattached transients is ample
indication of a serious per:;onal and social problem that should
not be minimized.
The explanation for the small proportion of unattached women
transients is not hard to find. The wanderings of unattached
women were beset with more difficulties than was the case with
unattached men. Travel without resources, as practised by unattached transients, was largely a matter of ridin& freight and
passenger trains illegally, and the solicitation of rides in
automobiles and trucks. For the former means of travel WOlllen
are less fit physically, and even success at the latter was
not free from hazards. Moreover, women are novices at unattached wandering, and in addition are likely to encounter both
1For exa111ple, see Thomas H1nehan, Bo:, and 01rl Tramps ar Aller1c:a, Mew
York, 1934, particularly Chapter II, Sex Lite. See also Nels •nderaon•a
cr1t1c1sm or tbe erroneous emphasis placed on bo:, and g1rl tranaUnta ln
tb1s book, The Survey, Januar:, 1935, pp. 26-27.
2 See rootnote 1, page 19, Chapter 1.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

TB! PERSONAL

suspicion and prejudice from c1t1zen and police alike. For all
of these reasons it would seem logical to expect-what t be
data confira-that a relatively small proportion of unattached
transients were women.
Among the heads· of family groups, the pro port ion of women
was much higher, even though, like the unattached, famil¥ group
heads -.-ere pred0111inantly male.
During the twelve-month period
under consideration, the proportion of women heads varied from
11.8 to 16.5 percent.
Farnil¥ groups traveled most frequently
by automObile; and this circumstance, plus the protection to
be derived from group travel, helps to explain the greater proportion of women as heads of transient family groups than as
unattached transients.
Taking all members of family groups into account, it is seen
from Table 3 that the proportion of females was slightly, but
consistently, in excess of males.
Although the maJority of
fa111ily groups were composed of husband and wife, or husband,
wife, and one child, there were more families consisting of a
woaan only and children than of a man only and children. This
probably accounts for the slight preponderence of females among
all aeabers of family groups.

Color and Nativity
Transiency was predominantly the migration of native white
persons.
During the nine-month period, August 193LJ througll
April 1935, shown in Table u, Appendix B, from 82 to 88 percent of the unattached, and from 81J to 91 percent of the heads
of faaily groups registered in the thirteen cities were native
white.
The pr9P<>rtion of foreign-born whites among the unattached varied fr011 IJ to 5 percent, and among the heads of family
groups fr011 3 to 8 percent.
The proportion of Negroes was
consistentl7 higher among the unattached than among the heads
of fa11il7 groups: From 7 to 12 percent of the unattached were
Negroes, in c011parison with from IJ to 5 percent of the heads
of faaily groups.
Mexicans, Orientals, and Indians were returned as other races; and these groups combined account for
only 1 to 2 percent of the unattached, and 1 to 3 percent of
the heads of family groups.
When the color and nativity characteristics of the transient
population are compared with those of the general population
ll930 Census), it is found that the proportion of native whites
in the transient population was higher than their proportion
in the general population.
The foreign-born whites, on the
other hand, were represented in the transient population in
only about half their proportion in the general population;
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THE TR ANSI INT UNEMPLOYED

while Negroes appeared in the transient population in a slight.l.J
smaller proportion than in the general pop~lation. 1
The preponderance of native white transients suggests that
they turned to transiency more readily than did members 9f the
other color and nativity groups. In view of the long tradition
of population mobility in this country, and the large-scale
population move men ts revealed by the birth-residence data ot the
decennial censuses,2 it is not surprising to find that the transient population was composed mainly of native white persons.
The small proportion of foreign-born white persons in the
transient population would seem to indicate that transiency did
not offer thein a solution for their social and economic problems
during the depression.
In recent years the foreign born have
tended to concentrate in the large industrial centers immediately
upon their arrival in this country.
This is evident from the
1930 Census, which shows that foreign-born whites represented
about 16 percent . of the urban population, about 5 percent of
the rural population, and about 11 percent of the total population.
It seems probable that the maintenance of racial or
national ties in the urban centers, as well as the tendency to
maintain cl0se-kni t family uni ts, would act as a deterrent to
transiency for the foreign born. In addition, social pressure,
to some extent, immobilizes the foreign-born groups.
Traditionally, the Negro has been a relatively immobile
group in the population; the only really striking example of
shift in the Negro population in recent years was the movement
of Negro workers from the South to the North during and following the World War, when employment opportunities became available as the result of the cessation of immigration and of !he
increasing use of unskilled and semi-skilled workers by largescale industries. This migration of Negro workmen is, in all
probabilitJ, one major reason for the disproportionately large
number of Negroes on relief in the large industrial centers of
the North. 3 Indeed, the proportion of Negroes on relief for
the country as a whole was considerably larger than their proportion in the total population of 19:,J'.
Despite this fact,

~ •• Flfteentb Ceneua, Population, Vol. II, T&bll to.
2s.. Tborn ■alte, Internal Klgratlon ln the Unlted States,

PhUl4•lPh1a,

1984; and O&lPln and K&nDJ', Interstate Klgrations uong the M&tive 111.lte
Population, u. s. Dept. or Agriculture, W&sblngton, D. c., 1984.
3see The Oneap107aent Reuer Cenaua or October, t9SS, Federal ..,r,enCJ'
Jeli~t Adalnistrat1on, OoY1J'DJl1nt Printing orr1ce, Waabinaton, D. c.,
~•port Muaber on,, p. 8.
'The Onaplo7aent Relief Cen111&s or October, 193!, mowed that te.7 percent
of tbe relief population waa Magro, co■pared ■1th 9.7 percent or the 19!0
population. Tbe ..... p.7.
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THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

the proportion of Negroes in the transient relief population
was somewhat !:illlaller than their proportion in the total population of 1930, and only about half the proportion they represented in the total resident relief population. This seems to
justify the conclusion that alti,oul;h proportionately the Negro
population was more seriously affected by the depre:;sion than
was the native white population, the Negro was much less inclined to seek a solution of his difficulties through transiency.
Moreover, it must be remembered that in ttie &>uth, where they
are 11ost numerous, local custom still tends to immobilize the
Negroes. 1
In connection with this discussion it is of interest to point
out the markedly different color and nativity distribution reported by the resident homeless unattached in the six cities 2
where they received relief in transient bureaus. Table q sho\\s
that the proportions of native white persons among the resident
hoaeleas unattached were considerably smaller, and the proportions of foreii;n-born whites and other races, weremuch larger,
than was the case with the unattached tra11sients.
In llis study of the resident homeless unattached in New
York City, Nels Anderson 3 found that, depeodi11g on the social
service agency studied, from 20 to 1'6 percent of the homeless
were foreien bon.
If the proportions of foreign-born white
ud other racei in Table q are combined for the resident home1••• n&ttached, the results are not l!:reatly unlike those found
for New York City. Here, as was the case with age characteristics, is evidence that the resident homeless unattached as a
ero•p were distinctly different from the unattached transients.

Marital Status
Tlae ■ ari tal status of the transient relief population showed
little variation from month to month.
In each of tne five
months, Dece111ber 1931' through April 1935, approximately 80
percent of the unattached transients were single, 10 percent
widowed or divorced, 6percent married, and 5 percent separated.
latong the heads of family groups Ii. e. the person responsible
for each group) between 8" and 88 percent were married, approxillately 7 percent 1Mere widowed or divorced, 6 percent
separated, and l to 2 percent were single. I See Table 5, Appendix B. I
Similar results were obtained from a tabulation
of September 19~ registrations, which provided a classification of marital status by sex, age, and color and nativity.

In thlS couuect1ou see Nelson Jackson, Negroes on

ti.e Rvad, State or Neir

7Jerse1 Eaergenc1 Re!le! A4a1n1strat1on, January, t~~5, page~1For
these c1t1es 11111 rootnote t, P, 28, Chlll)ter II.,
The Hoaelesa 111 Meir 'fork CU.y, •• c1ua abo•••

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TBI ffAMSIBNT UNIMPLOYID

&Ix and larttal Status. While only 12 percent of the 33,IJ60
transient 1ndividuals1 included in the Septellber registrations
in the thirteen study cities were females, significant differences between the marital status of ■ales and fe■ales are apparent among Doth the unattached and heads of faaily grollps.
(See Table 6, Appendix B.)
Slightly more than four-fifths of
the unattached men were single, in contrast with a little less
than two-fifths of the unattached women; and the proportion of
unattached women who were married, widowed, divorced, or separated, was from two to four times as large as was the case with
unattached men. This suggests that the 'llnattached WOilen were
somewhat older than the men.
The di!terence in marital status of men and women is likewise apparent among the heads of family groups; 9~ percent of
the male heads were married, in contrast with 22 percent of the
female heads. On the other hand, 36 percent of the female beads
were separated, and 3q percent widowed or divorced, in comparison
with only 1 and 2 percent respectively for male heads. Apparently, broken homes were a factor in family group transiency.
As to members of transient family groups other than the head,
it was found that 98 percent of the males were single and 2
percent married. The high proportion of single males is accounted
for by the number of boys under sixteen years of age. Among the
females, q3 percent were single, 55 percent married, 1 percent
widowed or divorced, and the same proportion separated; t be
single females were principally girls under 16 years of age.
Age and Narital Status. The single men among the unattached
transients were younger than the group as a whole: 52 percent
were under twenty-five years of age as compared with qq percent
of all unattached men.
The oldest group among the male unattached was found among the widowed or divorced, of whom 97 percent were twenty-five years of age or older, and qq percent,
forty-five years of age or older.
The separated males as a
group were also slightly older than those reported as married.
(See Table 7a, Appendix B.I
The single unattached women were likewise much younger than
the group as a whole, and also younger than the single unattached
men: 66 percent were under twenty-five years of age in comparison with 39 percent of all unattached women and with 52 percent

l.r1,e dlscusslon or 11arltal status by sex, age, and color and 1,at1v1ty aall.es
use or a three-ro~d classUlc&tlon or the transient population: ( t) unattached transients; (~) heads or tr&1,s18nt rU1llY sroups; aud (3) ■ e■ bera
or r111111ly 1:,roups oth<!r than the bead. The purpose or the third classitlcatlon 1 s to introduce at tl11S convenient point a br1tr deacr1pt1on or
some or the personal Cbaracter1stlca or ra■ llY 1roup traaa1e11ta other than
the head.
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THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

of tbe unattached aen. A somewhat larger proportion of the unattached fe■ale widowed or divorced lt.i9 percent I were fortyfive years of age or older than was the case with the unattached
males lt.it.i percentl; but the separated_and married unattached
females tended to be younger than the unattached males of the
same ■arital status.
For both the unattached and heads of family groups the proport ion of persons forty-five years of age or older was greater
among the w0111en than among the men; and this finding is associated with a much higher proportion of widowed and divorced
among the women. !See Tables 7a and 7b, Appendix B.I
Among members of family groups other than the head, over
half were children under 16 years of age; and most of the remainder were married women !wives of family headsl whose ages
were somewhat younger than those of the married women who were
(See Tables 7b and 7c, Appendix B.I
beads of family groups.
Color and Nattuttu and Karttal Status. Among the unattached
transients single individuals predominated in each of the color
and nativity groups:
The range was from 76 percent of the
foreign-born white to 86 percent of other races; while for the
largest color and nativity group, the native white, the proportion was 81 percent. Little variation was found in the proportion of each color and nativity group that was married: The
smallest proportion was 5 percent for the oat ive white, and the
largest, 7 percent, for both the foreign-born white and the
Negroes.
The most noticeable variation was found !or tbe
widowed, divorced, and separated:
13 percent of the foreignborn white were widowed or divorced, in contrast with only 7
percent of the Negroes, and 5 percent of other races. Negroes,
on the other band, reported the largest proportion of separated
18 percent), and other races, the smallest 13 percent). (See
Table Sa, Appendix B.I
The largest proportion of married heads of family groups
was found among the native white 184 percent I, and the smallest
proportion . among the Negroes 166 percent). Both the Negro and
the foreign-born white reported a larger proportion Ill and 10
percent I of widowed or divorced heads of family groups than
did the native ~bite 17 percentl. Fifteen percent of the Negro
heads of family groups were separated, in contrast with but 7
percent of the native and foreign-born white.
ISee Table Sb,
Appendix B. I

Size of Transient

Fa■ ily

Groups

The average transient family group was smaller by about one
person than the average relief family in the general population.
During the period September 193LJ through April 1935,

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)

Tl I TR 11·s1 INT UN BM PLOY BD

the a.-erage transient faai17 troll_P di4 aot fall below 3.0 per.
sons, nor exceed 3. 2 persons; nile the average size of the
sedentary relief family groap, according to the Uneaployaent
Relief Census of October 1933, w.s ti. q persons . 1 Table 9,
Appendix B, shows that about half of the transient families
each month consisted of two per~ns; that from one-fifth to
one-quarter consisted of three persons; and that large f•ilies
(six or more persons) were relatively few.
Al though no tabulation was made of the composition of transient family groups, it is possible to infer something of their
composition from the data on size of familiesaod ■ arital status
of all members of family groups. Reference to the tables supporting the discussion of marital status (Tables 7a to 9, J,ppeodix Bl shows the following ioformatiod concerning family
groups registered during September 193ti:
TOTAL PERSONS IN FAMILY GROUPS
NUMBER OF FAMILIES
AVERAGE SIZE

MARRIED MALES, FAMILY HEADS
MARRIED FEMALES, NOT HEADS
BOYS UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE
GIRLS UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE

6,62
2122
3,1
1681
1673
1171
1179

TOTAL
PERCENT or ALL FAMILY GROUP PERSONS

570tl
87

Since about half of the family groups consisted of t1'10 persons
I Table 9 I, and si nee aiarried male family heads were al.most exactly equalled by married females who were not at the head of
the family group, it seems logical to assume that most of the
two person families consisted of husband and wife. Furthermore,
since children under 16 years of age accounted for most of the
family persons other than the approximately equal nwnber of
married male heads and married female non-heads, it seems likely
that most transient family groups consisted either of husband
and wife, or of husband, wife, and one or more children under
sixteen years of age.
If this reasoning is correct, it tends to confinn what was
suggested by the age distribution of family group heads: That
transient families were, for the most part, younger married
couples with no, or few, children, that either had not established strong social and economic ties in their coiumun1ty or
were not sufficiently hami:iered by family obligations to prevtnt
1set the Oneap101■ ent Census or octobtr, t983, rederll Dttr&IDCJ Rellet
Ad■ lnlstratlon,
OoYern■ ent Pr1nt1ac orr1ce,
waa111naton, D. c•• Report
lhl■ber on,. P. t.
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TBB PBRSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OP TBB
TRANSIENT RELIEF POPULATION

a migration in search of a more favorable environment,
Education

Measured in terms of school years completed, the transient
unemployed were a fairly well-educated group. A tabulation of
the school attendance history of unattached transients registered in the thirteen study cities during September 193ll, shows
that only 2 percent had no schooling; 56 percent had terminated
their formal education upon comp let ion of one to eight years of
grade school; 38 percent, upon completion of one to four years
of high school; and nearly LI percent upon completion of one to
four years of college. Another index of the educational level
of unattached transients is the proportion whose education had
ended with the completion of each of the three divisions in the
educationa~ system-grade school, high school, and college. 1
The completion of grade school only was reported by 26 percent,
of high school only, by 13 percent, and of college by 1 percent
of the unattached transients. But perhaps the best indication
of t:1e educational level of this group is that more than twothirds 168 percent I had at least a grade school education. (See
Table 10, Appendix B.I
Heads of transient family groups reported a slightly lower
level of schooling completed: 3 percent had no schooling, and
35 percent had left sc~ool without completing grade school, in
comparison with 2 and 30 percent respectively for the unattached
transients. However, the proportion of family heads that ended
their education with the completion of grade school, high school,
and college, was about the same as with the unattached transients,
which leaves the difference in educational level princ.ipally
the larger proportion that had left grade school before completion, and the smaller proportion that had attended high
school without completing the four years. Since the heads of
family groups were, on the whole, somewhat older than the unattached, this difference in schooling is in part the result of
the spread of compulsory school attendance and the improvement
in school facilities since the older transients were of school
age.

l.niese data were collected 1n terms or actual years or schooling completed
1n grade school, hlgh school, and college; but in thi & report grade 11chool
1s tu.en to consist or eight years, a11d high school and coUege or rour
years each,
the answer •completed grade scboo1• was not accepted unless
1 t re.iorted eight years or schooling. There were a !ew cases wt,ere grade
school bad consisted or but su or anen years; and, although the lndlvldual reported the co ■pletlon or grade school, the entry was the actual number or 71ars coaPltt.ed, .l sl ■ Uar procedure was rouowed 111 reporting high
school aad collqe attendance.

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THI

TRANSIBNT UNBMPLOYBD

The resident homeless unattached reported a lower level of
schooling completed than did either the unattached transients
or the heads of transient family groups:
6 per-:ent of the
homeless had completed no schooling; q3 percent bad stopped
short of the eighth grade; and only 23 percent had continued
beyond grade school, in contrast with Q2 percent of the unattached transients and with 37 percent of theheads of transient
families.
As in the case of the heads of family groups, the
lower level of ·schooling among the resident homeless is associated with the older age of this group.
Indeed, there appears
to be a fairly consistent inverse relationship between age and
schooling completed, ainong both the transient ud the resident
homeless eighteen years of age and older.
Although the n.aattached transients, the transient faaily
heads, and the resident homeless differed as to the aaoant of
schooling completed, there is close agreement in the proportion of those in each group whose educatio11 terminated at the
completion of the eighth grade. This is apparent from Chart V,
which shows the distribution of school years completed for each
of the three groups, and from a comparison of the proportions
of the three groups whose schooling terminated in each year.
Completion of the eighth grade ended the schooling of 26 percent of the unattached, 25 percent of the heads of family
groups, and 28 percent of the resident homeless.
This pronounced concentration of the three distributions at the eighth
grade affects the 11edian school year co11pleted, which is the
eighth grade for each of the three groups. There are two circumstances Which help to explaia this particular concentration:
(1) the spread of legislation ■ akiag school attendance caapulsory &t least until the age of l'J, and frequently until the
age of 16; and (2) the known tendency of persons, out of pride
or carelessness, to report the completion of grade school when
they actually stopped S011ewhat short of that point.
Color ana Nattuttv and Educatton. There were distinct differences in the educational level of the several color and
nat1v1ty groups.
Among the unattached transients, the natiTe
whites reported the smallest percentage with no schooling completed, and the Negroes and Mexicans, the largest. ( See Ciart
VI; and Table II, Appendix B. I The native white were the best
educated of the color and nativity groups: q' percent of thea
had continued their formal schooling beyond the eighth grade,
in contrast with only 22 percent of both the forei'ga-born white
and the Negroes, and with 19 percent of the Mexicans.
The
supenori ty of the native white in tems of schooling coapleted
is lik.ewi se shown in the proportion of each color aad natiTi tJ
group that had a high school education or better: Native -.bite,
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PERCENT

cci"

""
i'j"

~
~

0
0

0 I 2 3 4 5 I 7 I 9 IO II 1213141!1 II 17
GRADE
SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE
GRADU
COMPLETED

UNATTACHED

TRANSIENTS

0 I 2 3 4 5 I 7 I 9 IO II 12 13141!1 II 17
GRADE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL COU.EGE
GRADES
COMPLETED

HEADS OF FAMILY GROUPS

O O I 23.f. 56 7191011121314151117
GRADE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL COLUI.E
GRADES
COMPLETED

RESIDENT

HOME.LESS

CHART V

( i)

SCHOOLING OF TRANSIENT AND RESIDENT HOMELESS

~EACCNT

PERCENT
2&

PERCE NT
II

PERCEN T

••

0
(0
;c;.

;;:;·
~

-'Z

C;
0

O 0113-.0 & t 1 I 9 10 II 1213" II II 17
GRADE IO<OOI. HIGH SCHOOL C01.UGE
GIIADU

COMl'UTID

NI\TI\/E WHITE

O 0 I 2 3 • & I 7 I I 10111213 .. 111111
GRADE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOi. CQ.LEG('
GIIADU COMl'Unll

OOl23 4 &1TIIIOlll212"~1111

FOREIGN BOAN WHITE

GRADE

50<00<. HIGH SCH00L C0U.CG£
<;RA.Ol.S COMPLET[O

NEGRO

CHART VI

SCHOOLING OF UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS

( i)

BY COLOR AND NATIVITY

O O I 2 3 4 SI 7 I t l011 l21314t,ter7
GRADE SCHOOi. HIGH SCHOOi. ca.UGE
CMOU CD"PllTtD

MEXICAN

TBB PERSONAL CBARACTBRISTICS OF TBB
TRANSIBNT RBLIBF POPULATION

18 percent; foreign-born white, 12 percent; Negroes, 5 percent;
and Mexicans, 3 percent.
The difference in educational leYel is shown by the median
year of completed schooling, which was the eighth grade for the
native white, the seventh grade for the foreign-born white, ;1nd
the sixth grade for both the Negroes and the Mexicans; but,
because the point of concentration falls within the grade school
period, the median fails to show the differences in schooling
among these color and nativity groups as clearly as do the shapes
of the diagrams in Chart VI. This chart emphasizes the following facts: Among the native white group there is a marked concentration at the eighth grade, a large precentage of the cases
above this point, and an important secondary peak at the twelfth
grade.
The foreign-born white group conforms fairly well to
the native white, except that a larger proportion of the cases
lie below the eighth grade. For the Negroes, the figure shows
the least contrast among the percentages of those whose schooling ended during the grade school period.
While the median
year c011pleted by Negroes was the sixth grade, the point of
greatest concentration was, as in the case of the other color
and nativity groups, the eighth grade. The figure representing
the schooling completed by the Mexican groups is most irregular,
and the most highly concentrated at the lower levels of grade
school.
Ate and Education.
An analysis of the schooling completed
by age groups reveals, for the unattached transients, some interesting facts which are consistent with expectations.
The
lowest age group, those under sixteen years of age, bad the
least educational experience.
!See Table 12a, Appendix B.I
Obviously they bad not had time to complete as many years of
schooling as bad those in the older groups. The preponderance
of cases in this group were in or near the fifteen-year age
interval, which agrees with the finding that 65 percent of them
bad completed seven ,ears or more of schooling . 1 !See Chart
VII.I The proportion of those who had completed seven or more
years of schooling increases to 83 percent for the sixteenseventeen year group, and to 85 percent for the eighteen-nineteen year group.
This latter group was, on the average, the
best educated of any of the age groups in the population: less
than l percent of them had failed to finish at least one year
of schooling; and over one-half 153 percent) had completed one
or 110re years of high school.

1Percasaaaesror 1nd1Y1dual school years co11pletcd are shown only 1D gr&Pblc
rora on Cbart YII, The percentages 1D Tables t2a aud 12b are ror the conYeot.1011.al gro11p1n,s or scboo.L years-grade school, b1gh scboo.L, and
le&••
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

However, the age group, twenty through twenty-four years,
reported the largest percentage of high school graduates and the
lowest percentage that failed to complete as much as eight 'years
of schooling. In the higher age groups there is a gradual decrease in the proportion that had extended their formal education
beyond the grade school period, despite the fact that the thirtyfive through forty-four year group shows the highest percentage
of college graduates.
A comparison of unattached transients with heads of family
groups, by age groups and school years completed, snows that the
unattached transients, twenty through twenty-four years of age,
had a slightly better school record; that there was little difference in the schooling of unattached and heads of family
groups who were twenty-five througli forty-four years of age;
and that ~he schooling of those forty-! ive years of age and
older was less for the unattached transients than for the heads
of family groups. ISee Tables 12a and 12b, Appendix B.I
The
presence. of a larger proportion of habitual transients among
the unattached group probably accounts for their inferior educational rating when compared with that of the heads of family
groups.
This tendency for the educational level of the unattached to be lower int he older age groups was even more marked
among the resident homeless unattached: The percentage of those
with no schooling rose from 1. 3 percent for the resident homeless, twenty-five through thirty-four years of age. to9.l percent for those forty-five years of age and older.

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•

-..
.

-..

•
"

..
.

CHART VD

SCHOOLING OF UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS
BY AGE GROUPS

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Oaapter III

OCCUPATIONAL CBARACTBRISTICS
kore often thaa aot, coauaities were divided in their attitudes towards the transieat. One view was that the transieat,
by acceptine lower wages, would replace resident 1«>rkmen and
thereby increase the burden of local relief.
The other view
held that the transient would not 'll'Ork under any circumstances,
and therefore was not entitled to assistance in the community.
The former view readily became the latter whenever the transient
refused to work for less than the prevailing wage; and the latter view persisted in many communities even after the Transient
Relief Proer• demonstrated that the transient 1«>uld 1«>rk.
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the occupational
characteristics of transients registered for relief in the thi rteen cities included in the Research Section's study, and to
show something of their employment history before and during
migration. This examination is not designed to show that transients would work-for that has been clearly demonstrated in
transient camps and shelters; but to show what work they had
done in the past, and to throw some light on their prospects of
finding work in the future. Like the preceding chapter on personal characteristics, the emphasis will be upon statistical.
description; bot, unlike that chapter, the data are too detailed
to be summarized with any pretense at completeness.
Although
someof the findings are su11111arized in the final section of this
report, they provide an inadequate statement of the occupational
characteristics of the transient relief population.
laplo11aent Status. Al.most without exception, unattached transients were unemployed at the time of registration for relief;
but the great majority was reported as both able and willing to
1«>rk 1 .
During the seven-month period, October 193Q through
.\>ril 193!5, the number of unattached transients who were employed•at the time of registration did not exceed one percent.
However, during six of the seven months, only q percent of the
unattached transients were reported as unable to work; and in
the remaining 110nth IHarch 193!51 the proportion was 3 percent.
I See Table 13, Appendix B. I
The principal reasons given for

1i-h1a repreaeats a Ju4peat ■ad• b7 tilt 1at1nuwer at tl ■e or regUtratlon
tor relief.
Abl11t7 to work was deter■ lntd 1argel7 upon llllCb tactora as
1&• and the &baace or obTloua or reported Pb7a1 cal beadl cap a. Wllllnpeaa
to work wu baaed &laoat ut1r111 upon the atatueat or the transllnt; but
tbeae stat•ents had to be consistent •1th data on 1&1, prn1ous uplo,aent
hlaton, and wUUnpua to Part1c1pat1 la tilt work relief progrsa or tbt
trusleat blareu.
'nose •Plo71d were elthtr en route to a proalstd Job, non-resident workers
oa strike, or 1t1aeraat workers 11110 w1r1 s11r-•p1071d but in need or relier.

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THE TRANSIBNT UNBMPLOTBD
inability to work were teaporar;y and per11anent ph;yaical. diaa-bili ties 1 and old age.
Anong the heads of famil;y groups a sli&htl;y hieher proportion was employed at the time of registration, aid a conside~
ably larger proportion was unable to writ than was the case with
the unattached transients. During the seven-month period considered, from 2 to 3 percent ol the family heads were eaployed,
and from 7 to 11 percent were unable to writ. I See Table 13,
Appendix B. I
The larger proportion of family heads who were
unable to writ, in comparison with unattached persons, was tile
result of both a slightly larger proportion with pb;ysical. di ►
abilities, and the presence of women heads of f•ily eroups wlto
could not do gainful writ because their time was devoted to the
care of the family.
When those who were unable to writ are excluded, there reaain
approximately 96 percent of the unattached persons, and froa 89
to 93 percent of the beads of family groups, who were employable
in the sense that they were either unelllployed but were con side~
ed able and willing to work, or were employed on the date of
registration. Similar results were obtained by the Division of
Transient Activities from a one-day survey, which included ■ost
of the unattached men over eighteen years oI aiie, and 110st of
the family group beads under care in the United States on June 3,
193~. The results of this survey are given below:
TABLE A. E!M'LOYABILITY OF TRANSIENTS UNDER CARE JUNE 3, 193~. AS REPORTED
BY THE DIVISION OF TRANSIENT ACTIVITIES, UNITED STATES TOTAL

----

UNATTACHED MALES
OVER 18

HEADS OF
FAMILY GROUPS

29,856

Percent Dtstrtbutton
ALL PERSONS
EMPLOYABLE
UNEMPLOYABLE

100.0

92.2
7.8

90.7
9.15

A comparison 01 these returns with those given in Table 13
shows that they are substantially the same. The differences between the data from the Di vision of Transient Activities and those
from rei:istrationsin the thirteen cities during the seven-110nth
period probably arise from ti«> circumstances: The Division of
Transient Activ1 ties excluded all male transients eighteen ;years
oI age or younger-a highly employable group as far as physical
ability and willingness to work were concerned; and in the thirteen cities women heads of family groups were returned as unem1

Temporary dl eab1l 1 t1 ea were PhY s1 cal 0&11dlcapa tbat reQU1 red ■ edlc&l &~
tentlon, but were not llllely to reneler the person unemployable tor allJ'
considerable period or time. PermanP.Ot d1slib1l1t1es were PhYSlc&l blllcUcs.,s tnat, ln all 11llel1nood, rene1eree1 tne person permanently un•ploYable tor any type or Mlrll whlcb would enable h1m to be aelt•aupportlaa,
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OCCUPATIONS OF GAINFUL WORKERS , RELIEF AND
TRANSIENT POPULATIONS

WHITE COLLAR WORKERS

!SKILLED
WORKERS

!SEMI-SKILLED
WORKERS

\ii
DOMESTIC a
PERSONAL
SERVICES

!UN-SKILLED
WORKERS

i~~.~~~~~~~~~ ~~t ~~~t ~~~~
0

cci"

""
i'j"

~
~

0
0

~
( i)

~~ RKKI

FIIII

IAAi AiA~Ai IIAI RHRI
lllilllli llllllill

EACH OUTLINED FIGURE REPRESENTS 5'% OF TOTAL GAINFUL WORKERS
EACH GRAY FIGURE REPRESENTS 5'l OF TOTAL RELIEF POPULATION
EACH BLACK FIGURE REPRESENTS 5'% OF TOTAL TRANSIENT POPULATION
DIVISION OF SOCIAL REIEAJtOi AF· 1502

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OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
plo7able wlaea tbe care oft he famil1 prevented their participation ia gainful work-a procedure which tended to lower the
proportioa of f•il1 beads returaed aa employable.
While at first it ■ q seea that the data both from the thirteen cities and fro■ the countr1 as a whole show, for a relief
group, an unusually high proportion o! employables, it must be
reae■ bered that the transient population was young, and that only
the physically fit could stand the rigorous life on the road.
It must al.so be remembered that eaployabili ty is necessarily defined as the ph7sical ability plus an expressed willingness to
do gaiD!ul i«>rk, rather than as the probability of securing employmen-i. Within the transient relief population was a considerable nu■ berof individuals between sixteen and twenty-five years
o! aee who had never done gainful worll but who certainly were
physically able, aad just as certainly were willing to work if
they could find 811 employer who would overlook their lack of
experience. There were likewise others--a smaller number-who
had done gainful 1«>rk ill the past, but, because they had passed
the ageof forty-five years, were no longer considered employable
at ■ ost joba according to the standardsof many employment of.t:ices.
For these reasons, it is necessary to examine in some detail
both the 1«>rk experience and the occupational characteristics of
the transient relief population before a conclusion is reached
asto their e■ployabilityin terms of probability of reabsorption
into private industry. This examination will be concerned with:
I. The 1«>rk history of transients, to determine the proportions
with, and without, ausual occupation. II. Several broad groupings o! those with usual occupations, to determine the economic
levels fro■ which the transient population was drawn. III. The
detailed occupations subsumed under these groupings, to determine
the variety of trades and pursuits usually followed by the transient unemployed. IV. Age and occupational characteristics, to
determine the relationships between Boie, i«>rk history, and usual
occupation.
I. IIORl BIS'IORT. When the .«>rk nistories of unattached persons and beads of family groups are examined, without regard to
ilie or sex, it is !ound that the proportion with no work experience was •all. (See Table lij, ,\)pendix B. I During the eight■ontb period,
September 193ij through .April 193!5, only 3.8 to
5. 3 percent of the unattached persons, and only 3. 7 to 6.9 percent of the heads of f•ily "roups reiistered for transient
relie.C in the thirteen ci tie:a, bad never done gainful .«>rk. The
variation fl"OII 110nth to 110nth seeas to be the result of changes
in the personnel of the transient population rather than because
o! any persistent increase in the number who had never been gainfully eaployed.
However, when those who bad done gainful 1110rk are classified
according to whether or not they had a usual occupation, it is
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THE TRANSIENT UNBMPLOTBD
found that the proportion with no usual occupation increased
durin" the period exauiined. This increase was D10re 11arked aaoni
the unattached persons th an aioong the heads of family groups.
The percentageofunattached transients with no usual occupation
increased steadily from 5.6 percent in September 193q, to 14.9
percent in April 1935; while the percentage of family group
heads with no usual occupation increased from 1.1 percent in
September 1934, to 5.4 percent in March, and to q,7 percent in
April 1935. One possible explanation of these increases is that
the younger transients-those who reacheJ working age durini the
Jepression years-were unable to obtain employment at any one
tr&le or pursuit long enou15h to acquire a u::;ual occupation, and
in shifting al>out in search of work came to depend increasingly
upon transient bureaus for assistance.
The 1oOrk historie::; of men and women were tabulateJ separately
for the four-1110nth period, January through April 1935, to
determine the Ji!fereuces at tributal>le to sex. I See Table 1!5,
Appendix B. I The most ::;triking Jifference between the sexes is
IounJ among the heads of family groups: only al>out 1 percent of
the male heads had never worked and about95percent haJ a usual
occupation; while approxilllately !() percent of the female heads
had never 1oOrkeJ, and less than 50 percent of them haJ a usual
occupation.
Anong the unattached transients approximately 4
percent of the males haJ never worked, anJ more than 00 percent
had a usual occupation; while al>out 25 percent of the females
had never workeJ, and somewhat more than €o percent had a usual
occupation. It should be noteJ that male head::;of family groups
had a more favorable w0rk history than did unattached males;
while female heads of !c111ily groups had a less favorable work
history than Jid unattached females. The older age of the male
heads was the principal reason for their superior work history
in comparison with the unattached males; while the care of the
family group accounts for the inferior lllOrk history of the female heads in comparison with the unattached females.
II.
OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS. Broad groupings 1 of usual occupartions2
show that the proportion of unskilled and seni-skilled
1These groupings repreaent a specl&l arrMige■ ent or the occupations reported
by the Bureau or the Census ln 1'1~ ( see ruteenth Census, PopulatloR,
Vol. V, Table l!).
The purpose or thl s arrange■ eot 1 s to Show both the
degree or sklll represented by woruen included ln thls relier group, and
the econo ■ lc and soclal levels ln the gener&J. population rro ■ llblch th17
ca■ e.
A talrly detailed atate■ ent or the occupations included 10 each or
these broad groups ls proTlded 10 Table 19, APPendlx B,
2The lostnictlons tor ruung the schedule used 1D the Research Sectlou•a
study or the transient reller population required that the uau&l occupatlon be deter■ lned as ro11owa:
w1or t/r.c purposes of ,11,s study, a v.svai occvpatiOII ,s: (1) file WIICI
of 1110rll, craft, pursvH, occvpahcm, etc,, for ~,ell u .. retistrcaat b

but /Heed a.s a re.svU of tra,nine, t>rachce, or ,,_rsOIIGI aphtwle. fHs
is a judfunt /roa tile poi ■ t of view of tile interviewr. (2)
of
worll, de., for ~,ell t/1.e refistf'ant ccm.siders •i•sdf best fHte4, /M

Ile•••

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OCCUPATIONAL CBAIACTBIISTICS
workers in the truaieat relief popalation ~as hieher than the
proportion of such workers in the 2eneral., or in the resident
relief population. Duriae the fou-aoath period, January throulih
April 1935, 110re than one-half of the 11nat tached persons and
110re than two-fifths of the heads of family iroups who had a
usual occ11patioa were classified as unskilled or sea:i-skilled
workers. 1 I See Table 16, .\Jpendix B. I In addition, approxi■ ately 11 perceat o! the unattached persons, ud approximately
8 percent of the beads of f•ily groups, had usual occupations
classified ia the servaat aad allied wrk.er eroup, which is ■ ade
up alaost eAtirely of UDak.illed and seai-akilled occupations.''
Coabiniae the perceataeea of 1110rkers classified as unskilled,
seai-sltilled, servuts ud allied 1110rkers, it is found that durini the four-aonth period under consideration, about 6!5 percent
of the unattached persons ud about ,> percent of the heads of
f•il1 eroui,s bad usually been mployed ai writ of an unskilled
or seai-skilled nature.
This di.fferencebetween unattached persons and headso! family
eroups in terms of skill extends tbrouehout the occupational
eroupiaes. In particular, the proportion of skilled workers,
proprietors, manaeers and officials, and professional persons
was consistently hieher each month 8111one the heads of family
eroups than aone the unattached persons.
The difference is
equally evident .Crow a co■pari soa of the proportion or "white
collar"' wrkers in the t1110 eroups.
.\)proximately ,> percent
of the !•ily eroup heads registered durine each or the four
110nths ex•ined were "white collar" writers, incomparisO"II with
approxillately 17 percento! the unattached persons. These comparisons seea to j usti!y the conclusion that heads of family
iroups tended to coae from a so■ ewhat hi&her econ011ic level in
the general population than did unattached persons.
A comparison of the occupations of men and 1«>men shows that
the proportion of semi-skilled 1«>rk.ers, and servants and allied
1110rkers, was hiiber a11ong the women than c1Dong the men. I See
Tablel7, .\>pendix B.1 The hi2her proportiono!wmen with semiskilled occupations reflects the inclusion of semi-skilled
Ch s11•• re11sons •n-u11hd u. (I). fUs b II jvdfu11C fros Ch• #)oinC of
ui•w of Cu r•tisCr1111t. (3) f4e ••114 of war• Ch• retisCr11nt /0!!011.Wd /or
,,.. IO'fliUC "... f4iS is II judfUllt b11s•d OIi , •• i.or II hstor, of , ••
c h•11t. (II) f4• II ind of IIIOt" II, •Cc., 11t lllllicll C4• ref i.s Cr11"C M>16 ld #)rob11b!,
b• ••t>lo;v•d, i,e 0• judt••"' of botll tk r•pistr11"t 11114 tll• i11t.i:ui~11.Wr,
if soci11l can4 •co-ic collllitio11.1 wr• lllll11t is
d•scrib•d 11s nor•11!".fllh is 11judt••"t b11s•d 011 tll• f11etors et1••r11C•d '" (1), (2), all4 (3).
11rben tile occupulons or "ll 1alnfull1 e■ployed pei-sooe ln tile Unl ted Stat•••
aa reported by tile 1930 Cen.iua, are reduced to ue aa■e occupatlODt\l iiroups,
lt l• round toat H, 7 percent •ere reported .u unslr.llled .nd ae ■ l-skllled.
( See F'Uteeota Cenaua, Popul,t1011, Vol. V, Table J). See Table 17, 4pp11ndl.1
8, tor a co ■ parlllon or tranalenta •1tn tile 1alntull1 e■ ployo1d po1>u1'1,tlon or
19JO, ud·•lto a repreHntatlH •-Ple or tll• resldeot urban rellet populaor KS¥ 19J•.
7 tlon
s.e Table 19, 4Ppendl.1 8, tor tll• apecU1c occupat1ona 1ncludad 1n tllla and
otllar 11roups.
'•• uead oere, ••lllte collar• ~orkera 1nclude tllose classlfled as: pror,ss1onal persons; proprletora, ■ana1era, and orr1c1a1s; clerical •orkers;
aalaa peraooa; ae■ 1-11roreaa1onal ud recr•atlonal workers; &Dd telepoone,
~•le,rapll, ••4 radlo operators.

""I_,,

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TRANSIENT

UNBMPLOTID

operatives in laundries ud drJ-cleanine establiabaeata where
wo11en cons ti tu te a considerable part of the labor supply. The
proportion of women was also higher in three other occapational
groups: professional persons !principally nurses ud scb.ool
Oa the other
teachers!, clerical. workers, ud sales persons.
band, the proportion of ■en was noticeably hie her ill the Killed
and unskilled groups, and, to a lesser extent, in the proprietors,
11anagers, and officials group.
III. USUAL OCCUPArIONS. 1 Unsktllea 'llorkera. Of the FebruarJ
registrants who bad a usual occupation, appro.1.imatelf 31 percent
of the unattached persons and 22 percent of tile faily eroup
heads were unskilled 1110rkers. !See Table 19, Appeadix B.1 In
each case, nearly one-half were .tam laborers. Al though practically all types of farmin11 were represented, more than half of
the farm laborers bad usually worked on the general, or unspecialized, typeof farm. Second to fara laborers in order of i11portuce among the unskilled wrkers group were couon laborers
!Laborers, not elsewhere classifiedl. About 11 percent of the
unattached persons and 8 percent o.t the f•ilr group beads were
usually attached as common laborers to such industries as manufacturing, merchandising, public utilities, building and construction, service, etc. In addition to farm andco111111on laborers,
the only other important group of unskilled workerswas from the
mining and oil well industries-3 percent of the unattached
persons and 2 percent o.( the heads of family eroups.
Se11t-sld.lled 'llorllers. Occupations requiring some skill and
training were reported by 23 percent of the unattached and by 2)
Chauffeurs, deliverypercent of the heads of family groups.
men, truck and tractor drivers comprised slightly under onethird of this sewi-skilled i:roup, while slightlJ over one-third
were .factory operatives. Semi-skilled 1110rkers in laundries and
dry cleaning establishlflents were classified as factory operatives.
The balance of semi-skilled workers reported a wide variety
of occupations, with maritime eaplo)'lleat the 110st iaportaot
among the unattached persons, and personal service eaplo)'llellt
among the heads of family- 11roups.
About 17 percent of the unattached persoas
Skilled 'llorllers.
and a) percent of the headso.f family groups were skilled ■ aoual

1 aecauae ot the great uount ot det•ll, u111&1. occupatlona are Ibo• 1D ,..,.
Wblcll ... a t&1r11 t7PlC&1
tended tora tor ODJ.1' ODI ■ ODtll, rabruan
lndlc&ted 111 & coapar1aon •1th al ■ Uar datalled tablllatlona tor
aonth
otber ■ontba.

a•

1,,,,

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OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

workers. Well over half of each group were either building and
construction workers 1 or skilled mechanics. Skilled building
and construction workers represented 8 percent of the unattached
persons, ud 9 percent of the beads of family groups, who bad a
usual occupation. Among these workers, painters, paper hangers,
and carpenters occurred most frequently. If the skilled and unskilled building and construction workers are combined, it is
found that approximately 12 percent of both unattached persons
and heads of faily groups were usually employed in the building and construction industry.
Servants and Alltea liorkers. About 11 percent of the unat-tached persons and 8 percent of the family beads were included
in the servant and allied worker group. About nine-tenths of
each group were domestic servants, waiters, or waitresses; the
remainder included bootblacks, charwomen, elevator tenders,
sextons, andporters. Although there were included a few skilled
and semi-skilled workers-such as chefs, cooks, and bartenders-they were so few in number that there is little to distinguish
this group of occupations fr0111 those classified as unskilled.
Sales Persons. Slightly over 6 percent of the unattached
persons and SOllewhat less than 8 percent of the family group
heads were 11sually employed in the sale of goods and services.
Although this classification was designed to include sales per.sons in all lines of commercial activity, most of those included
had 1110rked in retail stores. Among the several •white collar•
classifications, salespersons ranked first among the unattached
persons, and second among the family group heads.
Clerical liorkers. While the percentages included in this
group are not large-5. 3 percent for the unattacned persons,
and 2. 7 percent for the taaily group beads-it was the only one
of the -White collar• classifications in which unattached persons were proportionately more numerous than were heads of famil.7 groups. However, since general clerical workers were reported auch more frequently than were such semi-skilled workers
as typists and stenographers, it would seem that this group does
not provide an exception to the conclusion that family group
heads represented a higher economic level in the general population.
Proprtetors, Xanaters, and Offtctals. Agricultural proprietors and managers, and wholesale and retail dealers were most
important gong proprietors, managers, and officials, who comprised nearly 15 percent of the beads of family groups, in contrast with only about Q percent of the unattached persons. This
category presents the most .marked occupational difference between
the unattached persons and the heads of family groups. However,
1

111clu4•• brlca u4 atone ■ aaon• 1114 tll• lQer11, carpeaura, electrlclua,
Palatera •d paper bu&era, plast.i-ers and ca■ ent tlalsbers, plu ■ bera and
aaa •4
tlttera, rooters md al&tera, and struct11r&l lron 11111rkera.

•t••

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED
it must be remembered that the family heads were, as a group,
sumewhat older and therefore had more opportunity to rise to the
proprietary class. Moreover, the inclusion of tenant fanaers in
the proprietary group tended to overweight this classification,
since the tenant famer frequently represents aposition in the
economic scale no better than that occupied by the common laborer.
Professtonal Persons; Seat-professtonal and Recreattonal
iorkers; Telephone, Telefraph, and Radto Operators. The proportion of professional and technical persons in the transient
population was small. Among the February registrants, only 3
percent of the unattached and 5 percent of the heads of family
groups reported occupations falling under these three classifications, whi~h include the more- highly skilled of the "white
collar" pursuits.
IY. AGI AND OCCUPA1IORAL CHARACTIRISTICS.
Age is no less
important in adiscussion of theoccupational characteristics of
the transient relief population than it was in the discussion of
personal characteristics.
When the work histories and usual
occupations of transients registered in the thirteen cities during April 1935-a fairly typical month-are examined by age
groups, 1 significant variations are discovered. ( ~ee Tables 20a
and 20b, Appendix B.I
Neuer iorked. While only 3.3 percent of all unattached men
registered during April 19 35 had never been gainfully employed,
this was true of 1q.~percent of those under twenty years of age,
and of less than 1 percent of those twenty-five years of age and
older. I See Table B. below.I

TlBLE B.

PERCENT OF TRANSIENTS WliO HAO NEVER WQR~EO, APRIL

193,,

UNATUC11f.O PERSONS
~

UNDlA

2) UHS

2,-3',1 YlA.RS

( A)

OYUI

PEACU1TAGE~ NOT CO .. PUTED llf.CAUSf. OF

F[,.ALE

Ft .. AL(

o.,

~5.u

"°·'
19.3

( •l
( •l

~-'-

38.9
28.3
3~- 7

J.9

a.~

29-~

SMALL JIIUMitERS

Huos Of I=' AMIL y GROUP$

'-AALE

2,. I

15.7
23.,

o.s

3'5-UU Y[.\AS

nus .u,o

3. 3
1•.,
,. 1

20-2U TEARS.

U'}

....

REGISTRATIONS IN 13 CITIES

a. 7

IN'IOLYED,

Among all unattached w0men, 25. lpercent had never been gainfully employed. Although the largest proportion without ~ork
experience was reported by those under twenty years of age, the
second largest proportion was reported by those forty-five year;:;
1 Fewer age groups are use<l tnan 1n the presentation or age <lata 1n Chllo)ter
t. The small proportion ur unattacne<l persons over Corty-tour year:., an<l
or !.nllY 6 roup 11ea<1s un<ler twenty years, se11111s surric1ent Jui.tl!lcatlon
!or comblnln1i, the:;e age Intervals to avo1<1 too great <letaU,
Tne Cull
age <11str11,ut1011s rro111 urteen to sut,v-rour years may be roun<l ln Tables
,a an<l 2b, Appen<lU B.
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OCCUPATIOIAL CIAIACTIII8TICS
ol aee, or older. Practicall7 all of the ■ale beads of f•ily
groups bad beea gaiahl17 mplo7ed; but ao■ewbat over one-third
136.ii perceatl ol the !male beads of f•ily groups bad aot.
lo Oaual OccupaUon.
The 110st strikiag Tariation in work
histories aaoae the aee groups was fouad in the proportioas witla
DO usual occupatioa . .laong all unattached mea, 1!).0 perceat had
110 usual occupatioa; however, ,1.0 percent o! those uader tweatJ
1ears of aee laad 110 usual occupatioa, cmpared with onl11.6 perceat of tlaoae forty-the 7earaol aee aad older. I See Table C,
below. I
TAa.E C.

PERCUT r6 TRAIISIENlS WHO HAI)

IC)

l6UM. CX:CUPATION, APRIL 193,, REGISTRATIONS IN 13 CITIES
HUDS Of FAIIILT GaouPI

TOTM.

,u•s

~,. .....
______________
IJIIN• 3)

~211 u .. .

,,_.. YIAIII

. , TlAIII AIIO OVII
(A)

"Uo

51.0
19.9
"·"
2.3
.___I.~

F::::•

'--_u;~:-

23.8
r •l
11.9
8.~
12.0
9.9
I.I
~-'- - ~ - - - - ~ - - -

2.•

PeAClNTM.lS NOT COMP'UUD UCAUSl Of 5MALL NUMtltliS lllVOLVf.D,

A si■ ilar relationship was fouad between aee and the lack of a
usual occupation for unattached 111011en; but, probably because of
the greater proportion of uaattacbed W0111e11 who hau never worked,
the iaverse relationship was less extreme than ia the case ol
uaattached 111e11.
The proportioa of men heads of family groups
with 110 usual occupation was ■uch s■ aller, and the proportion
of WOiien heads was slightly lareer, than was true of unattached
■ell ud w■ea.
The ~e group including the lar¥est proportion
with no usual occupatio11 was twent;v- to tweaty-four years for
the nea, ud thirtr-five to fort1-.COur years for the womea
beads of f•ily groups.
Slltlled 'llorkers. Altbou1b one-sixth o! the un4ttached men,
and oae-!Hth of the ■ ale heads of f•ily groups reported
skilled trades, it was the older, rather than the younger, men
who accouated for these proportioas.
Only 2.8 perceat of the
uaattached men and one of the ten heads or fanily groups uader
twentJ fears of aee reported skilled occupatioas, in contrast
with 2Q,l and 22.2percent respectively for those forty-five
years of aee and older.
ben reporting skilled occupatioas
a■onK both the uaat tached persons and heads of f aily ~roups
were too few to merit discussion by aee aroups.
Seat-slitllect 'llorliers.
So■ewhat over one-fifth of the men
and one-quarter of the lltt>lllea reporting a usual occupatioa were
claasified as semi-skilled workers.
_Aie diifereatials were
less marked here than in SOiie of the other occupational classifications.
Allone the u11at tached men the highest proportioa
of seai-skilled workers was !ou11d in the aee ~roup tweaty to
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!·Bl TRANSIENT UN&MPLOTII>

twent;r-four years; while !or the male heads of haily aroapa
the proportion was slightly higher in the aee group tweat7five to thirty-four years.
hnong the i«>men, both unattached
persons and heads of family groups, the proportioll of seaiskilled i«>rkers was highest among those !orty-fiYe 1ears of
age or older.
Unskilled Jlorkers.
One-third of the unattached men, and
slightly over one-fifth of the male heads of f•ilf aro11ps,
with usual occupations, were unskilled. An examination of the
age distribution of these unskilled 110rkers shows that, while
the point of greatest frequeucy was under twenty-five Jears of
age, there was a second point of concentratio11 above .fortf-four
fears of age.
Thus among the unskilled ■ en in the transient
relief population there were some who reached workilli llie during the depression years, and who probably bad little opportunity
to secure anything but intennittent employment at 1111s1tilled
pursuits; and there were still others who had passed through
the most active years of their ~rking life vi thout acquirina
any special occupational skill.
The proportion of 1«>11en reported as unskilled workers was too small to warrant discV9"'
sion by age groups.
Seruants and All Led florkera.
An examination of the aee diatributionsof men and women in this occupational group shows
that for neither sex is there anf consistent relationship between age and the proportion reporting servant and allied pursuits. As might be expected, the proportion o.f WOiien who were
usually employed as servants and allied workers was coosiderablf
larger than the proportion of men.
Sales Persons. At !irst sight, there seems no logical explanation for the fact that among both the unattached men and women and the 11ale beads of family groups, the proportions that
were returned as sales persons were higher mong the younger,
than among the older age groups. However, when it is remembered
that sales persons include those who work for commission only,
as well as those who receive wages for their work, an expla.uation is suggested.
Even when unemployment was at a peak, the
help-wanted section of every newspaper contained advertisemeats
for salesmen on commission; and it seems probable that this
type of employment was all th at could be obtained bf some of
the transients, particularlf the younger individuals who had
no previous experience in gainful employa~nt.
Clertcal 1iorkers.
Clerical 'l«>rkers were proportionately
DK>St numeroua in the ~e group t~enty to thirty-four years. In
proportion to their number in the transient population, lilOllleD
reported clerical occupations much more frequently tbaa did
men; this was true of both unattached transients aad heads of
l.J. ·ily groups.
It is not surprising to find a greater proporti(,n of ..amen in this categoey, aiace111le 'f'IOportion o.C _ .
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GCCUPATIOIAt CIUACTIIIITIC8
ill the ielleral. poplllatioll

were retaned as clerical workers

was 110re thu three tiaes tile proportion ot men. 1
Proprtetors, Xanaiers. ana Of(tctals.
There was evident a
direct relationship between age and the proportion of transients classified as proprietora, ■ anagers, and officials.
In
the first place, there was & ■arked increase in the proportions
of men and women proprietors, managers, and officials ( t>Oth
unattached persons ud headsof family iiroupsl as age increased.
For instance, 1 percent of the unattached ■ en ands., percent
of the ■ ale heads of f•ilY iiroups under twenty-five years of
age were illcluded in this category, in contrast with 6.9 and 26.1'
percent, respectively, ol. those forty-five years of age and older.
Ill the second place, the proportioll of proprietary wrkers was
bi&her for beads of f•ily iiroupa than for unattached transients, even ill the s•e aee aroups..
Duration of lap,lo11aent. at Usual Occupation.
Data showiq
the duration of last e11ployaeat oI Ullattached persons and of
faaily iroup beads at their usual occupation before beginni111
■ i&ration will throw 80Jle light on the occupational stabilitJ
or transients while they were still a part of the residen~ populatioll.
In addition, this infon11ation will be pertinent to
an appraisal of their employability.
In each ol. the three aonths, February through .April 193!5,
SOU1ewhat over half of both the unattached persons and heads of
f•ily iiroups with a usual occupation had wrked at it for periods of eiibteen months or longer during their last employ~ent
before miiration. Last eaployment at usual occupation o! less
than six months' duration was reported by approximately 18 percent of both unattached persons and heads o! family groups;
and last eaplo,Yment o! six through seventeen months' duration
was reported by auout 27 percent ol. the unattached persona and
2q perceat of the beads of faailf groups. 1
( See Table 21,
.Appendix B.)
Very few of either the unattached personsor heads of family
groups bad come directly into the transient relief population
at the ter11in4tion or the last employment at their usual occupation. Many of them had been totally unemployed for some time
liefore migration; and others had 1110rked occasionally at jobs
other than their usual occupation. However, the data on duration of last job at usual occupation before migration seem to
provide sufficient justification for the conclusion that at
least a 11ajori tf of the transient unesnployeu had stable 1110rk
histories before beginning •iiiration.

!see r1rte1ntn Census, Population, Vol. V, Table,.
Tn.e tl ■e lntervals usecl ln Tab.I.& n, Appencll:1 B, to anoir clurat lon or ••J;ilo;, •. 3ut irere cnos•n to represent re.1.at1ve1y snort,
lnter ■ edlat,,
ancl
loo~ perloda or ••PlOJMAt.

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THI TRANSIENT UNBNPLOTBD
lllplo11aent. DurLnt lfLtrat.Lon.
It will be sholllll ill a later
section of this report that search for 1«>rk was the reaaoa
iiiven most !re~uently by transients to expla.in their preaeace
in the transient relief population.
At this point it is possible to detenaine what proportion of the transient population
was successful in obtaininii employment durinii ■ ieration, ud
something o! the duration and nature of the jobs ~ecured.
During the three-1110nth period February throuaih .April 193!5,
only about one-third of the unattached persons, and two-fifths
of the heads of family aroups re"istered !or relief ia tile
thirteen cities, had secured one or aore no11-relie! 1 jobs
during migration.
Ko reover, ■ost of the eaplo,aa t aecared
during •ii ration was of a temporary ll&ture. Of the Dllattaclled
persons who secured any eaploi'lllellt durill& ■ieratio11, aearlJ
one-~arter reported that their first job luted lesa tllu
fifteen days; and well ov~r half reported that tlaeir first job
lasted less than tw months. ( See Table 22, Jepeadh B. t Evea
though the headsof family eroups were so■ ewha.t aore succeaafll
in securing eaployment durinai 111ieration th& were anattaclled
persons, the duration of the sployment was aucla the a•e. Tlae
principal difference was a slightly larger percentaee of failJ
heads who secured jobs of three to twelve ■oaths' duration. Of
the unattacheJ persons and hea.Js of fmaily eroupa who secured
employment during migration less than half fou11d aore tbu one
job; and when the duration of the last of t\llO or more jobs was
tabulated, the results did not differ materiallJ froa tboae
secured for the first job. In sW1111ary, it ■ a, be said that at
the time of registration for relief less thall half of the trail~
ients had secured any employment durin& their waaderi11ea, aad
that aost of the emplo)'llent that was secured wasof a tmporarJ
nature.
Therefore, it seems eYident that trusiencJ did aot
provide a solution for unemploy ■ent.
This becoaes eYetl -,re
evident from a. comparison of the usual occupatioas before ai&ration with the jobs secured durin& ■ iera.tion.
Casual aru.i Non-casual Occupac. tons. During the period October
193Q throuiih April 1935, the usual occupatiollS of truai•t•
before migration included a small, and the jobs secured durile
■igration a large, proportion of casual pursuits .
( See Table
23a, Appendix B.1 By casual is meant those short-time seasonal
eaployments in such industries as agriculture, forestrJ, fislainK, mining, anJ construction, which depend to soae exteat upon
a ■obile labor supply; and, more speci!icallJ, 11Uch occupatiou
as harvest band, berry picker, woodsaan, cla-diuer, and unskilled manual occupations in mining aad construction indus-tries. During the seven months exa11ined, only about 5 perceat
1

lllployaeot dUl'lD& ■ 1Cl'&t10D . . . CleUD•CI U
tnr•• Cla,a or loa&•r tor•~••·•

1 0011-rellet

•Pl0711Ct lutlD&

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OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

of the unattached persons reported usual occupations before
migration that were of a casual nature; while of those wboobtained employment during migration, from 37 to 45 percent reported casual pursuits as the first job of three days or longer,
and from 1.12 to ':U percent reported casual pursuits as the last
of two or more jobs. Among the heads of family groups the proportion whose usual occupation before migration was of a casual
nature was much the same as in the case of the unattached (see
Table 23b, Appendix Bl; but of those who obtained employment
during migration, the proportion reporting casual pursuits was
considerably smaller than was found for the unattached.
Thus
it appears that not only were the heads of family groups more
successful in obtaining employment during migration than were
ti1e unattached, but also that they depended less upon casual
pursuits.
Employabtl t tv.
The description of the occupational characteristics of the transient relief population should throw
some light on the proportion of this mobile relief group that
is most likely to obtain private employment as the demand for
labOr increases with industrial recovery. It is believed that
the majority of the transient relief population preferred permanent employment and acommunity life to a m~gratory existence
and transient relief. This belief is supported by the material
presented in the discussion of usual occupations, particularly
the data on the duration of last employment at the usual occupation before migration.
When the employment status of unattached persons and heads
of .family groups was discussed ( see page ti51, it was noted
that the large proportion reported as employable was a re.tlection
of ability and expressed willingness to wrk rather than the
probability of securing private employment.
Undoubtedly some
of those reported by the transient bureaus as employable were
too old to be readily absorbed by private industry; others
were handicapped by partial disabilities, and lack of work
experience or usual occupation.
This suggests that the data
on ability and expressed willingness to work overstate the employability of the transient relief population; and that employability should now be considered in view of such factors as age
and work history, as well as employment status on the day of
registration for relief.
Because of the large proportion of unskilled and semi-skilled
workers in the transient relief population, age would seem to
be one of the most important factors conditioning employability,
although it i::. difficult to set the limits at which employability is affected by age.
Private employment offices are
inclined to question the employability of the unskilled or semiskilled worker who is unemplo;.,·ed and over forty-five years of
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!56

TBI TRAMSIBNT UNIMPLOYBD

age; and the unemployed youth under sixteen is likel1 to find
his lack of experience a handicap as long as the labor aarket
is over-supplied with workers of sane experience.
It wuld
seem, therefore, that the most readily employable group in the
transient relief population would be found among those unattached persons and heads of family groups who were sixteen to
forty-five years of age.
Reference to Tables 2a and 2b, .Appendix B, shows that during the twelve-month period (May 193q through }pril 19351
SQ to 88 percent of the unattached persons and 78 to 82 percent of the heads of family groups registered in the thirteen
cities were sixteen to forty-five years of age. Since the
variation from month to month is not large, the April 1935
data will be used in considering the proportion of .the transient relief population that was most readily employable.
During .April, 86 percent of the llnat tached persons and 7)
percent of the heads of family groups were sixteen to fortyfive years of age. When the employment status of registrants
during April is examined by age groups, it is found that 2 percent of the unattached persons and 7 percent of the heads of
family groups were sixteen to forty-five years of age and unable to .wrk. 1 This leaves SQ percent of the unattached persons and 72 percent of the heads of family groups who could be
considered readily employable as far as the criteria designated
for ~e, ability, and expressed willingness to w:>rk are concerned.
However, some of these transients had never done gainful
work, and others had never worked long enough at any pursuit
to acquire a usual occupation. 1 When employability is mea;:;ured
in terms of physical ability and expressed willingness to \,'Ork,
lack o! experience or the absence o! a usual occupation cannot
be considered a handicap; but when employability is considered
in terms of probability of obtaining private 611ployment iu an
overcrowded labor market, some allowance must be made for these
factors.
.Among the April 1935 registrants, 3. 6 percent of
the unattached persons and Q.6 percent of the heads of family
groups were sixteen to forty-five years of ~e and had never
been gainfully employed; while IQ. 7 and Q.3 percent, respectively had worked, but had not acquired a usual occupation.
Obviously it is impossible to determine the extent to which
lack of 1«>rk experience or a usual occupation is a handicap in
1

E11p1oy■ ent status on the date or registration is aho,m b7 ■onths in Table
13. Appendix 8; but this table doea not show age data.
Tbe percentage•
used in this paragraph were obtained by sorting the reg1atrat1on cards or
au persons slzteen to tort7-C1ve 7ears ot age according to ab1lit7 to
work.. 81nce 0011 part ot the APrll reglatrauons were conaldered,
tile
results are shown 0011 1n the text.
',or a descr1Ption ot tbe tactora deter■ 1n1ng the du1g11at1on of a UR&l
occupation, see footnote t, page ,6.

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OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

!57

•
securing private employD1ent. Nevertheless, it seems important
to show that these factors existed, and that they will have a
bearing on the employabili tyof the transient relief population
in teras of absorption by private industry.
It lliOuld be pos::;ible, from the data presented earlier in
this chapter, to consider still other !actors such, for instance, as occ•pational skills, which condition the ready employability of transients. But the purpose of this reconsideration of enployabili ty is not to attempt an exact numerical
statement of the more employable part o! the transient relief
population. Instead, the purpose is to show that factors other
than ability and willingness to work have an important bearing
on the absorption of transients by private industry. It -,uld
seea that the abwrption ol. eve11 the more employable part of
the transient relief population depends to a considerable extent upon a marked increase in the demands of industry for unskilled and semi-skilled 1«>rkers. 1 Chnsidering the large nwnber of such- 1«>rkers in the resident relief population, 1 it
seeas probable that the absorption of semi-skilled and unskilled
"'0rkers, whether resident or transient, will be slow. Under
these circumstances, the prospects for the employment of the
less employable part of the transient relief population are not
encouraging; and it may be expected that many of thea will continue their wanderings and depend on seasonal and casual emplo)'lllent for subsistence, or become part ol. the resident homeless population of our large cities.

1eee Table IDb, APPllldl& I, tor a c1ass1r1catloD or usual occupatloDs bf
aae croups.
,,., OCCUP&tlOD&l 4Utr1bllt10D or the ruuait reuer POPUl&tlOD 1D '79
cltlta, Na, ttS4, Table 1~, ,Appaidl& I,

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Chapter IV

ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THE TRANS~ENT
RELIEF POPULATION
In the discussions of personal and occupational characteristics of transients, little has been said of their reasons for
Migration; and nothing, of their origin and destination. It is
the purpose of this chapter to consider specific reasons for
depression transiency, the length of time that transients remained on the road, and the origins and destinations of this
mobile relief group.

Reasons for Beginning Migration
The most frequent reason for the depression migration of
needy persons and family groups was uneRlployment; but there
were other reasons, such as ill health, search for adventure,
domestic trouble, and inadequate relief, that were important
factors in the tonnation of the transient relief population.
When an attempt is made to present the reasons for the migration of the thousands of cases registered in the thirteen
cities, a serious difficulty is encountered: It is seldom that
a single reason provides an adequate explanation of the presence of the individual, or family group, on the road.
But it
is impracticable, if not impossible, to present in statistical
fonn an account of all the factors involved in each case.
Therefore, resort was had in the Research Section's study of
transients to the device of reporting for each case only the
most important of the reasons for transiency; that is, when
two or more reasons could be given, the one was selected without which the person would presumably have remained a part of
the resident population. 1
Take, for instance, the case of a boy nineteen years of age
who first reported that his reason for migration was to find
work. From his educational record it was found that he had
completed high school less than a year before registration for
relief; and from his occupation al history th at he had never had
permanent employment. Careful interviewing disclosed: Ill the
fact that he had tried to find work in his home community, but
had been unsuccessful; 121 that he had always wanted to see the
Pacific Coast country; and 131 that he had an uncle living near
San Francisco who might help him find a job. The interviewer
had to choose one of three possible entries on the registration
card: Ill Seeking work; 121 Adventure; 131 Visits. It, in the
1

In tbe tbirteen cities studied by tbe Research Section, a trained Interviewer questioned eacb a1>1>l1cant tor rauer as to hls reasons tor beginning algratlon. Tbe reason or reasons given were checked tor conslstenc7
w1 tb such lntonaatioo as age, school1og, occupational bi story, and tiaa
or begi1111111g a1grat1on.
The reasoo selected and reported in each cue
was tbe ooe that best aareed with all or tbe tacts obtaioed.

'8
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ORIGIN OF MIGRATION

COMPARED WITH DISTRIBUTION Of TOTAL POPULATION

·
•
··.~
rn:DJ~
I
I
I
..

•

FARM ANO
OPEN COUNTRY

·.•:

lOWIIS~
ANO lHlER

. ..

URBAN

2500 - 100,000

100,000

ANO

OVER

TOTAL
U .S . POPULATION
1930

TIU,NSIENT
FAIIIILY
GROUPS

,.,:r

2i.

!;[

UNATTACHED

TRANSIENTS

iiif H nni HRi
i II ~ii~ Ii~~
j
Hi HRH iiiii

a( i)

TOTAL U S POPULATION
EACH GRAY FIGURE REPRESENTS 10~ OF
EACH GROUP FIGURE REPRESENTS 10~ Of FAMILY GROUPS
EACH BLACK FIGURE REPRESENTS 10~ OF UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS
TRANSIENTS REGISTERED FOR RELIEF IN 13 CITIES, NOVEMBER 1934 .
OIVISION OF SOCIAL. lllUJtCM a,• 1801

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OIIGIN AND NOVIMKNT OP TBB TRANSIENT
IILIIP POPULATION
inteniewer's judement, the presence of the uncle was the fact
without which the boy would probably have remained at home,
the reason reported was "Visits". Otherwise, a choice had to
be ■ade between "Seeking work" and "Jdventure", on & basis of
their importance in explaining the fact of migration.
Although this procedure resulted in an over-simplified
st&te■ ent of reason for migration, by reporting in each case
onl7 one when there may have been several causes, it did provide a reliable indication of the order of importance among
the principal reasons for transiency during the depression period. Moreover, it is possible to supplement and illustrate
the statistical statement of reason for migration by abstracts
fro■ case histories obtained from special studies, or from the
case work departments of the transient bureaus. 1 The reasons
for ■ iKration reported by unattached persons and heads of family groups registered for r~lief in thirteen cities, October
193Q through Aprill93!5, are presented in Tables 24a and 2Llb,
Appendix B; and abstracts from a number of typical case histories are presented in Appendix B. The discussion which follows will be concerned with a brief examination of the reasons
for the depression migration of unattached persons and family
groups. 1
Seeldnf IIJOrk.
Search for employment was by far the most
important reason for the migration of both unattached persons
and family groups.
During the period October 1934 through
April 193!5, the principal reason for the migration of from 69
to 7!> percent of the unattached persons anu 6!5 to 68 percent
of the heads of family groups registered for relief in thirteen
cities was "seeking work".
For some of the unattached persons and heads of family groups
this reason was not only the principal, out, as far as could
be detemined, the sole reason for migration. This was true of
those individuals and family groups who seemed to have fonaed
no attachment for any place or community, and who seemed to
feel that one place was as good as another so long as employ■ ent could be obtained.
It seems probable that such persons
caaprised & ■ inori ty of those transients whose principal reaso~
for migration was seekin~ "°rk.
For the remainder, migration for the purpose of seeking employment was apparently & last resort after every attempt &t

1t1oat or"tbt ca11 blatortea rettr to tr1111atent1 r1g1atered iu the thirteen
Cit11a atud11d bJ' tbt Research Section; but occasionally use bas been
~ad• or a cut b1atory rro ■ a c1t7 not included.
Tb• diacuaaion or reason ror ■ 1&ration rerera spec1r1ca111 to trans1enta
regUtlrtd 1n the thirteen study cl t1u dur1n& the period October tl>M
throu&h April 193&. 1t1r1r1nc1a to the thlrtetn citlea and to Tables 24•
and 24b baYe been 0■1tt1d rro■ tbe dlscusaion to avoid undu repetlt on.
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

obtaining the nece::.si ties of a stable existence bad !ailed.
Included in this category were those whose small savings had
been lost in closed banks or in business ventures, or spent in
maintaining a home in the hope that economic coudi tions would
improve; those who had not, for one reason or another, accumulated any reserves against unemployment; and those whose
friends and relatives were either unable or unwilling to extend or continue assistance that would enable the individual
or family to remain in the community. In not a !ew instances,
a search for work in some other place was the only alternative
to "going on relief" in a community where the person had lived
for many years as a self-supporting citizen. A careful reading of many case histories o! transients suggests strongly
that "seeking work" as a reason for depression transiency is an
ade~uate explanation only for those who had no, or few, social
ties in the community. I See Case History Abstracts Nos. l to
5, Appendix C. I
PromLsed. Job. The definite promise of a job in a specific
place was responsible for the migration of 2 to 3 percent of
the unattached persons and q to 6 percent of the heads of faaily groups. The distinction between this category and that of
seeking "WOrk was that in the one case the migrant had fairly
definite assurance that work could be obtained, while in the
other case, such assurance was lacking.
The more frequent instance of migration becauseof a promised
job came to the attention of the transient bureau because the
person had reached his destination, but had not secured the
job. However, this category also included those who were en
route to a promised job, but lacked the funds necessary for
the journey.
I See Case Hi story Abstracts Nos. 6 and 7, Appendix C. I
•
Aauenture~ The peculiar compoundo! restlessness and active
desire to extend the area of experience which i::. suggested by
the word wanderlust, was reported as the principal factor in
the migration of 7 to 8 percent of the unattached persons, but
of only a negligible percent~e of the family groups. .Among
the unattached transients this reason ranked next in importance
to seeking 1«>rk as an explanation of transiency.
Considering
the youth of the unattached transient population, it seems
more than likely that the percent~eof persons included in the
category of adventure was an understatement, and that a more
detailed examination than was possible in this study would have
materially increased the proportion at the expense of those
classified as seeking 1«>rk. I See Case History Abstract No. 8,
Appendix C. I
It seems probable that the applicant for relief from a se~
vice desi11:ned to relieve the hardships of the mobile unemployed
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ORIGIN AID MOVEMENT OP THE TRANSIENT
RBLIEP POPULATION

would have been inclined to stress the more obvious and understandable factor of unemplo)'lllent rather than the intangible and
easily misunderstood motive of adventure. Indeed, in reading
the case histories of some of the younger transients who were
reported as having migrated for a reason other than adventure,
there is a strong implication that, whether they knew it or not,
the desire to get away from the home environment with all its
restrictions, and to see for themselves the cities and the
areas known only by repute, was at least of equal importance
with the reason reported. This was probably true of some of
the older unattached persons as well, and of more of the fami1y
groups than the small percentage shown in Table 2qb, Appendix B.
Ill Health. Two percent of the unattached persons and from
JO to 12 percent of the heads of family groups reported that
their migration was for the purpose of finding a more favorable
climate, or for obtaining medical aid because of some physical.
ailaent.
Included in this category were those who went to
Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona because of pulmonary disor~o::rs;
those who were advised, or had become convince<l of their own
accord, that they would benefit froo1 the warwer climate of
Southern California or Florida; and those who hoped to obtain
for themselvo::s or for some other member of the family group,
hospitalization or medical attention which could not be obta'.ined in their home community.
I See Case History Abstract
No. 9, Appendix C. I •
Among the family groups, ill health ranked next in importance
to seeking work as a reason for migration; and it was frequently
the ill health of a child or an aged parent rather than t,hat of
the head of the family group that was responsible for the migration. The migrant in search of health, like the adventurous
youth, is to be found on the road in 1,;ood times and -bad; and
it is a debatable question whether their number increases or
decreases during an economic depression.
Kt(ratorv Occupations. The reason for migration necessarily
applied to the time when the person or family group left tile
last place in which a stable resideuce had iJc:en maintaineu. As
a result, only 3 to 5 perceut of the unattached persons, and
from 1 to 3 percent of the family ~roups were reported as having be"un migration because of migratory occupations. Actually,
the percentages of both groups that were confirmed migratory
workers at the time of rel,listration for relief were much
higher; but it was impossible to tell just when the individual
ceased to be iln unemployed person in search of work and became
a permanent addition to tne mobile labor supply that follows
the harvests in the wheat belt, helps to pick the fruit and
berry c-rops from Florida to the State of Washington, works in
the lettuce !ields of Arizona, the hop fields of California
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THE TRANSIENT 0NEMPLOYID

and Oregon, and the beet fields of Colorado aJld Minnesota. However, ~riculture was not the only industry that afforded onployment to the migratory workers included in the transient relief population. Seasonal employments in the lumber, canning,
construction, mining, and shipping industries were some o! the
more frequent entries in the occupational histories of transients who were con! inned migratory workers at the time of re~istration for relief.
(See Case History Abstracts Nos. 1D to
13, Appendix C. I
However, there are some occupations that are so definitely
migratory that they can be designated arbitrarily as the 1eason
Ior migration. For instance, the sailor who signs for employment from port to port, the carnival worker who "joins up",for
the season, the peddler who wanders from place to place, and
the itinerant minister who presides at revivals-all these and
similar pursuits are migratory occupations from the day of adoption.
As such they are readily identified as the rea.::;on !or
migration. The other and larger group of migratory workers included among the transient relief population apparently began
migration in search of stable employment, and only by imperceptible degrees came to depend entirely upon the short-time seasonal employment as a means of existence. Therefore, the number
of migratory workers among the transient relief population was
inaccurately reported by the number of individuals and family
groups whose reason for migration at time of starting was to
follow migratory pursuits.
Domestic Difficulties. Difficulties within the home, or conflicts with relatives, were responsible for the transiency of
3 to 4 percent of the unattached persons and from 2 to 4 percent
of the family groups.
Among the unattached persons for whom
this reason was reported was the runaway boy who had quarreled
with one or both oI his parents; the md.rried person who had lost
husband or wife through death, divorce, or desertion; and the
son or daughter whose family had been broken up by death or incompatibility. Iu ad<lition, there was the family that. had lived
with, or had been economically dependent upon, the family of
the husband or wife, and had left because of a quarrel; the
family that had lost one parent by separation, death, or divorce;
and, not infrequently, the common-lai. family where the man or
woman, or both, were not legally separated from the deserted
spouse. I See Case History Abstracts Nos. lLI to 16, Appendix C. I
It is impossible to uetermine whether or not migration Ior
the reasons reported as "domestic difficulties" was increased
by depression conditions. The loug experience of social service
~encieswith this type of migrant would seem to be justification
for including dom~stic difficultieswi th adventure and ill heal th

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OIIGIN AND MOVBMBNT OP TBB TRANSIENT
l&LIBF POPULATION

as reasons that are responsible for ■ igration,moreor less indepeadently of econoaic conditions.
Inadsquate Reltef. Resident relief grants that were considered inadequate by the recipient were given as the reason
for ■ ig ration by 1 to 3 percent of the unat tac bed persons and
2 to q percent of the heads of family groups.
This category
also includes persons who claimed that they were unable to obtain relief in any form. ( See Case History Abstracts, Nos. 17
and 18, Appendix C. I
Although it is believed that unemployment relief grants bad
the effect of i•obilizini the relief population, there were
exceptions where just the reverse was true. When the standard
of relief was actually, or reputedly, higher in ~ne State than
in an adjoining State, the differential iwas an inuucement that
attracted a small number of indiviuu~s and family ~roups. The
substitution of work- for direct relief was occasionally followed
by a ■ inor movement oI person·s who claimed that they were unable
to obt.ain work relief employment. There were also instances of
purely local migrations in the areas close to State uouudaries.
For example, during the winter of 1934 the Memphis transient
bureau reported that Arkansas farm laborers were crossing the
Mississippi River and applying for relief as transients; and
Chicago, Illinois, at one time refused to accept transients
from Gary, Indiana, just across the State line. Still another
type of migrant incluued in the classification o! inadeq_uate
relief was the unattached person who claimed that relief in .his ..
locality was refused to persons without dependents.
However, the number of persons that migrated because of inadequate relief in the home community was small; and these cases
were exceptions to the general rule that per:;<>ns once on resident
relief were reluctant to fqrfei t their status for the cha.nee of
obtaiuing a higher standard of relief in some other locality.
rtst ts.
When the reasons for migration were examinell, it
was found that some of the unattached persons and family groups
were in the transient relief population becau::.e they had set
out to visit a relative or friend, without having sufficient
funds for the journey. There were also cases where the person
to be Tisited could not be found, or had died. These and similar circumstances were responsible for the transiency of 3 to 4
percent of the unattached persons and 4 to 5 i;ercen t of the
family groups. (See Case History Abstracts Nos. 19 and 20, >ependix C.)
Perso"al Business.
Migration for the purpose of settling
some business matter was reported by 1 percent of the unattached
persons and 1 to 4 percent of the heads of family groups. The
business matters included such items as a.n attempt to .::>btain
compensation for war-time injuries, the dispo::.al of real estate,
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THE TR ANSI ENT UN EM-PLO TED

a claim for damages from some public or private corporatioa,
and the settlement of the estate of a deceased relative. (See
Case History Abstracts Nos. 21 and 22, Appendix C.I
Otiier Reasons.
Any plan of classifying reasoas for ■ igration necessarily required a residual category into which cases
could be put that failed to come under any of the more readily
determined categories, and yet were not reported frequently
enough to justify a separate classification.
Included as
"other reasons" were such cases as the person released from a
penal agency, an asylum, or similar public institution; the
person who was avoiding some civil or criminal process of law;
and those who, like the mentally defective and the chronic hobo,
could give no satisfactory reason for their presence on the
road.
In concluding this discussion of reasons for ■ igration, it
is important to point out what ma, already be obvious, that
depression transiency was not a simultaneous mass-migration in
response to a single cause or group of causes.
Instead, it
was the reaction of the individual to a particular set of circumstances in his own environment; and the point in time at
which the reaction took the form of a migration varied both
with the individual and with the force of the circumstances,
Therefore, the transient relief population was constantly receiving additions from the resident population, and as a result
was composed, during any one month, of persons who had been on
the road for varying periods of time.
If these month-to-month additions to the transient population had been cumulative during the depression years, that is,
if there hal been no withdrawals, the pol-'ulatior wuld have
grown steadily in size, and the proportion that had been on the
road !or, say, six months or longer would have increased with
time.
Had this been the case, it would mean that one effect
of the depression was the creation of a lar6 e bodyof traasient
and homeless persons who had exchanged sedentary fot' migratory
habits and customs.
It is therefore important to ex•ine the
length of time that transients had been on the road at the time
of registration for relief, the rate at which transients were
added to the population, and whatever evidence exists as to
withdrawals !rom the-population.

Duration of Migration
If the monthly rate of addition to the transient reli'ef
population be defined as the percentage of newcomers that registered for relief within the same month they began migration,
it may be said that the rate varied from 15 to 21 percent for
the unattached persons, anJ from 11 to 16 percent for the .f•il1
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OilGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSIENT
RBLIEF POPULATION

groups.
I See Table 25, Appenrlix B. I
These rates were obtained from the registrations in the thirteen study cities
during the seven-month period October 193U through April 1935.
Apparently the rate of addition varied with the season of
the year, much as did registrations.
ISee Charts I, II, and
I II, Chapter 1, for registrations.)
Nineteen percent of the
unattached persons registerea auring October 193!' "began migration during that month; during November, the proportion declined to 17 percent, and in December, to 15 percent, whict, lo,as
the low point. During the first four months of 1935, the rates
of addition were:
January, l8 percent; February, 17 percent;
March, 21 percent; and April, 20 percent.
The variation in the rate of adc.li tion of family groups was
less closely related to the season of the year than wa:; the
case with unattached persons.
However, the rate for family
groups was lower in January and February 1~5, than in t.he
fall of 193U, or in March and April 1935. It should be noted
as significant of the difference between unattached and family
group transients, both as to mobility and the importance of the
break with community life, that the rate of addition for unattacheo persons kas higher than that for the family groups in
six of the seven months, and in the remaining month the rates
were the same.
Leaving aside .10r the moment the question of whether these
monthly rates of addition were representative of the entire
period 1 that the Tran:;ient Relief Program was in operation,
either for the thirteen cities or for the country as a 'I.hole,
it is still possible to demonstrate that the size of the transient relief population was checked by withdrawals that at
times exceeded accessions.
For instance, assuming that tne
rate of addition for ~he country as a whole was not unlike the
rate in tl1e thirteen cities during the seven months for wnich
uata are available, it is apparent that the transient population would have doubled in size if there had been no withdrawals. 2 (See Table 25, Appendix B.I Yet during this period
the number of unattached transients decreased in four, and the
number of family groups in two, of the seven months; and for
both groups the nu111ber of registrations in the seventh month
1

A perlod, so rar as addltlons were concerned, or a Uttle ■ore thlll two
years, J14.Ly 19:'l:'I to September 19:'IS.
Intake was ordered d1scont1nl4ed
ln au States on September 20, 1935; bl4t lntake bad been on a restricted
1bas1s ror aevera.L months Prlor ln some States.
Had the P.0P14.Lat1on act14a.L.Ly do14b.Led, the lncrease co14.Ld nave occurred
elther 111 reglstratlons, lndlcatlng increased 111obl.LltY, or 1n cases 14nder
care {aid-Month.LY censl4s), ludlcatlng decreased mobl.Llty. See dlsc14ss1on
or ■ oblllty, pp, es-?4
ror proor that cnan-.es ln 111obUltY were
.Largely lndepenclent or rates or addltlon, aud that, therefore, wltlldrawa.Ls
artord the on.Ly exp.Lanatlon or the tact that the slze or the popu.Latlon dld
not increase aa rapid.Ly as ls ludlcated b7 the rates ot addltlon.
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

was less than the number in the first month. This seems sufficient justification for the conclusion that during this period
the rate of withdrawal was at least equal to, and probably was
in excess of, the rate of addition.
Returning to the question of whether the rates of addition
in the thirteen cities were representative, it maf be noted
that they refer to a period when registrations in the thirteen
cities and in the country as a whole were declining !October
193q through February 19351 as well as when they were rising
( March and April 19351.
Since there are no reasons for believing that the transients registered for relief in the thirteen cities were unique as to the length of time they bad been
on the road, it is possible to use the ~ates of addition in
these cities as a sufficient demonstration of the changing personnel of the transient relief population for the country as a
whole.
The rates of addition do not indicate the length of time
that transients remained on the road.
However, this ma, be
determined approximately by computing the proportion of each
month's registrants that bad begnn migration within certain periods of time prior to the month of registration. The proportion
that had been on the road for one month or less bas already
oeen shown as the monthll' rate of addition.
Considering next
those that had begun migration sometime within the six months
preceding and including the month of registration, it is.found
that the proportion varied lrom 57 to 63 percent for the unattached persons and from 53 to 61 percent for the family groups.
ISee Table 25, Appendix B.I
The decline in the proportion of
both groups that had been on the road for six months or less
during each of the seven months examined, was almost exactly
offset by an increase in the proportions that had been on the
road for seven to twelve months at the time of registration.
When the proportions for the two periods ( six months or less,
and seven to twelve monthsl are combined to obtain the proportion \hat had been on the road one year or less, the results
are found to be: 75 to 78 percent for the unattached persons,
with five of the seven months showing 77 percent; and 78 to 80
percent for the family groups, with three of the seven months
These remarkably constant results were
showing 79 percent.
obtained during a period when both monthly registrations and
rates oi. addition were much more variable.
These results lead to the conclusion that for the greater
part of the transient relief population, the period of transiency was of relatively short duration.
Apparently, a brief

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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSIENT
RELIBF POPULATION

experience on the road was sufficient to convince a ma~ori ty
of the migrants t"at transiency did not provide a solution of
their probleas. This conclusion helps to explain the fact that
the transient relief population did not increase in size '-i th
anything lik.etbe rapidity that might have been expecteu during
the period of more than two years that transient camps and
shelters were operated in forty-seven of the States. Moreover,
three ;years of severe unemployment bad passed before the Transient Program was established; and if all, or even a ma.Jori ty,
of those who set out during thof'e yPars h~ remained on the
road, the transient popul'ition woulu have easily reached the
million or more that was anticipated at the time the Relief
Act of 1933 was passed. 1
There remained, however, a minori t;y of both the unattached
persons and family groups that, at the time of registration,
had been on the road for one year or more, a period of time
long enough to suggest that migration was -becoming an end in
itself rather than a means of regaining stability. During the
seven-month period examined, 6 to 8 percent of the unattached
persons, and 8 to 10 percent of the family groups had been
migrants for one to two years; 3 to 5 percent of both groups,
for two to three years; and 2 percent of the family groups, and
2 to 3 percent of the unattached per:;ons, for three to four
years.
It is probable that a large part, and po::>Sible that all, of
those who had been transients for one to four years would return to stability with the improvement of business conditions.
But most of those who hall been on the road for !our years or
longer 1«>uld seem to be permanently a part of that group whose
lives are an endless series of migrations. Among the unattached
persons from 8 to 10 percent, and among the fa.nily groups 3 to
7 percent, had been on the road four years or longer.
It is
known that this group was composed almost entirel,vof migratory
1«>rk.ers who were not properly a part of the depression migration
repr~sented by the transient relief population.
Actually, the migratory \o,()rker was specifically exduded from
eligibility !or Telief under the Transient Relit:! Prog rain, on
the grounds that relief for this group would represent a subsidy
to industries dependent upon a mobile labor supply. Only a few
of the States at tempted to enforce this ruling for the simple
reason that unless the applicant admitted to beini: a migratory
wrk.er there was no WaJ of distinguishing him from the depression migrant.
As it turned out, the ruling was unnecessary.
An eiramination of a considerable numberof case histories shows
that only as a last resort did the migratory 1«>rker turn to
the transient bureaus for assistance. Out of years of experience

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

he had learned bow to live on the road, and he resented both
the necessity of asking for relief and the regulatioas tha't
were attendant upon its receipt. The migratory 110rker remained
throughout the depression a "rugged individualist" who objected
to uy interference with his way of life.

Mobility of the Transient Relief Population
In the discussion of monthly rates of addition to the transient relief population it was noted that the rate varied
roughly, and in the same direction, with total registrations,
both in the thirteen cities and in the country as a whole.
However, a comparison of the rates of addition (see Table 25,
Appendix Bl with total registrations I see Table 1; and Caartf
I, II, and IIII shows that monthly registrations were much more
variable than rates of addition. Although there is no question
that the variation in the monthly rate of addition did affect
the number of registrations, 1 there was another aJld more important factor responsible for the sharp rise in registration during
the spring and summer months, and the decline in fall and winter.
That factor was the variation in the mobility of \he transient
relief population which resulted from changes in weather conditions and seasonal employment opportunities.
It is recognized that a discussion of mobility is, in effect,
a discussion of transiency. But a distinction does exist. For
purposes of relief, a transient was defined as a non-resident; 1
and under the State settlement laws an individual becomes a
non-resident as the result of no more mobility than is involved
in a single move across a State boundary followed by a period
of stability insufficient to meet the legal residence requirement.
On the other hand, all mobile non-residents, in the
sense of continued or repeated movements about the country,
became a part of the transient relief population as soon as
1

At tlrst tbougbt tbla ■ 17 see■ too ObYlOUS to ■entlon.
llllt tu~tber conSlderatlon will abow tbat cb1111ges lo tbe ■oblllty or tboae alread7 ln tlla
tr1111alent re1ur populat1on could ban ortaet Yar1at1on1 ln ra,11trat1on
caused b7 newco■ era reglaterlng tor tbe tlrat tl ■•·
ror lnatanca, lt llO
percent or tbe populatlon registered during 11117 one ■ontll ware nawco■ ara,
and U during tbat ■ontb an equal nu■bar or tranalanta alra&c11 1n tlla
population re■ alned tbe entire 111ontb ln one place 10 tllat t11a7 dldnot appear
lo tbe reglstrat1on tlgurss tor tbat ■ontb, no change would appear ln tba
number or reglatratlona as a result or tb•a• addltlons to tlle population.
or course, tbe sa.me errect could bave been c111sed bf wltlldrawala, Pl'OYldad
tbat all tboae MIO 111 tbdrew did not reglater at an7 transl ent bureau durln&
tbe ■ oath; tbat 1a, Utbe7 111tb<1rew rro ■ a place 111 wblch they had reel~
tered lo a preYloua ■ ontb. But lo errect tbat llke111ae would •ount to a
decline 1D mob111tJ.
Actually, var1 atlona 1n ■on tblY res1Strat1ona were the net rasul t or
chan~es both ln the rate or addltlon 1111d ln ■oblllt.Y, At tl ■ ea these two
!actors bad the s111111, and at t111es, tbe oppoalta, attact on total reg! ►
tratlona ror the ■on tb.
1See page tt.
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ORIGIN AND NOVININT OP TBI TRANSIINT
RELIIF POPULATION

they applied for assistance.
Therefore, within the transient
relief population the range of mobility was from a single move
across State lines by an individual or family that had neither
the intention nor the desire of continuing migration, to the
continued wanderings of the chronic hobo and the !'ligratocy
worker. Between these extremes were all gradations of mobility; moreover, not only did mobility vary from individual to
individual, but with the srune individual from month to month.
It is the purpose of the pages that follow to demonstrate
the changing mobility of the transient relief population I 11
in the country as a whole, and 12) in ten States selected to
represent different sections of the country. Use will be made
of the ratio of total registration, by months, to the midmonthly census of cases under care, to show changes in the
mobility of the transient relief population at different times
of the year. 1
1. In the discussion of the size of the transient relief
population, 2 it was noted that monthly registrations in the
country as a whole described the seasonal variation, while the
mid-monthly census of cases under care described the trend in
the transient relief activities.
In tl.ie fomer, there were
wide monthly variations, while the latter was singularly free
from such variations. (See Chart 1, Chapter I and Table 1, Appendix Bl. When total monthly registrations are expressed in
terms of the number of registrations for each 100 cases u_nder
care on the 15th lor16thl 3 of the month, the results are as follows:
T\JL~ ;:;,
1,1!,.l'lfl,,llY ~[r,,·ith'I\TION'' PER lGC, C4';£';" i;~~o. ('A.~E ()'rt
l''-'~ flfTtPJTH f:y? !f1 TH) Of f.\f~ VC~Tti, TOT1\L U~llf.:l ';l.\lt'"
,,.~(;::'I 'Jlf<-' I IU,.,

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1
Th1 s ratio wlll be upreaaed 10 teraa or the total. auaber or reg11trat1ona
eacll aoath ror each too caaea under care on the ruumth or the aoath.
Total reglatratloaa repreaeated Ill cases Ul&t applied ror, &Dd were
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

In February 1931', the ratio o! rejlistratious o! unattached
persons to each 100 persons under care on the l!!th o! the aonth
was 135.
Thereafter, the ratio increased each a;,nth, until
August, when it was 282, more than twice the February ratio.
Following August, the ratio declined each ■onth excepting
January, until February 193!5 when it was 136, al110st exactlf
the ratio in February a year earlier, despi.te the ! act that the
transient relief population had more than doubled in size dur-ing the twelve months.
From a low of 136 in Februar1 1935,
the ratio increased to ':D7 in April, in comparison with •2'.)q in
April a year earlier.
Since these ratios show the relationship o! total a>ntlll)'
retiistrations of unattached persons to total cases under care
on one da.¥ of each month, it seems obvious that the marked increase during the spring and summer months could not have been
entirely the result of additions 1 to the transient relief pq,ulation.
Instead, the increase was, for the most part, the
result of increased mobility bothof those already in, ud those
who Cilllle into, the population during this period. The increase
in mobility was principally a response to the obvious advantaees
&lvea relief at any tlae durlag tbe aoatb. Tbe ald-aoatbl7 c1aaua ••• a
count or &ll persons wbo r1ca1v1d ca.r1 during a p1r1od ot tw1at7-tnur
boura on tbe t1 tteeatb o t tbe aoatb.
( Bee P&&• eo tor turtber dUcuesloa ot these two aetboda or r1portiag.)
Tbe value or the rat lo or regl strat1ons to caHa under care u a
aeasure or aoblllt7 coaes rroa tbe tact that eacb rea1atrat1oa (u cUetlngul shed rro11 a case under care) aecessaruy 1avo1 ved a aoveaent to tb•
place or reg1strat1on.
Ir only one 110ve was made, a slagle reg1-.ration
was reported, and tbe person was not reg1 stared &gala as long as be re11a1aed under care la tbat Place.
However, U tbe sue person was 10
route, and stopped at transient bureaus &long the way, be was reported la
the monthly registration Uiur,s as aany t1aes as be received r111et,
elther ln the sue State, or 1n different States.
The aid-monthly census or cases under care included au persons preaent
on tbe d&¥ or tbe census, regardless or the length or t1ae tbe7 had bean
under care.
Thus, tba person Who bad been 1n the bureau tor sla aoatba
was reported 1n sla m1d-moatblY censuses, although be was included la tbl
r~g1strat1on figures ror on1y one or tbe montbs.
Tberetore, neglecting additions and w1tbdrawals, 1t the ratio ot re1istratlons to eacb 1VO cases uaaar care was 100, it 11eant tbat either tJII
toLa1 transient population had moved once durln& the aonth, or tbat part
or tbe popu1at10n bad aoved 110re tban once wblle the otber part reaalned
In one Place.
A ratio ot less tba.n 100 was evidence oc a 11111a11er nuab1r
or 11ove11eata or or those wbo moved; wblle a ratio ot aor1 tban 100 •••
or an increase 10 110vements, or 11overs.
2ev1dence
See pages 18 to 22, particularly page 22, Qiapter 1.
'When tbe 1,tb tell on SUndlJ', tbe census wu taken on tl'le Koaday following.
It 1 a poss1 ble tbat tbe d&¥ on Whi Cb tbe 1,tb or 16tb tall aa,y b&YI bad a
sUgbt etrect on tbe nu11ber or persooa under care, because or lntra-we1kl7
at1ons.
1var1
As pointed out earlier (sl!e pqe 85). tbeaontbl7 ratesotaddltlon to tbe
population during tbe ■ oaths tor whlcb data were available varied la aucb
tbe sue manner as did reg1strat1ons. UndoubtedlJ the Increase lo tbe rate
or addl tlon, and probabl7 a decrease 1D tbe rate of wl tlldrawals, hllPed to
swell °tbe number on the road during tbe period ot favorable weather·; but
had tbls been the only !actor, tbe number or cases under car1 .uioula baYI
risen almost as rap1dl7 as dld reglatratlons, wblcb, as Just abowu b7 the
ratlos, was not tbe case.
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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

of tr&Teling when the weather was mild; but it was also a response to the demands, or the possibility of demands, of seasonal. industries for a mobile labor supply.
Ia marked contrast with the wide fluctuations in the mobility of unattached persons was the restricted 110bility of family
groups. In none of the sixteen months shown in Table D, (page
70) did total monthly registrations approach equality with the
number of faaily groups under care on the fifteenth of the
month. The ratios of monthly registrations to each 100 family
groups under care varied from a maximum of 68 in August 1931',
to a ■inimu ■ of 32 in February 1935, in contrast with 282 and
136 respectively for unattached persons in these particular
110aths. Using the ratios as rough indices of mobility, it may
be said that unattached transients as a group were approximately four tiaes as mobile as transient families.
It was noted earlier that monthly registrations were less
T&riable fro• 110nth to month, 1 and that the monthly rate of
addition was lower 1 for family groups than for unattached persons. These findings taken in conjunction with the comparatiTely low ratios of monthly registrations to cases under care,
seea to offer conclusive proof that the migration was much
110re difficult for family groups than for unattached persons.'
As a result, transient families tended to remain under care in
one place for considerably longer periods of time once they had
bec011e a part of the transient relief population" than did

unattached persons.
Although

restricted,

the

mobility of family groups was
in much tbe same manner as was
the aobility of unattached persons.
In February 193q, the
ratio of family group registrations to each 100 families under
care was 55. With the exception of April, the ratio increased
steadily to 68 in August, and declined thereafter to 32 in
Februaey 1935. Fro■ the low point in February, the ratio rose
again, to 39 in April.
Weather conditions probably had an
even 110re important effect on the movement of family groups
than was the case with unattached persons. The inclusion of
woaea aad children in faaily groups made travel by "bitch-hiking•
and f•ily 111to110bile-tbe principal means o! travel used by
faai.17 rroupa-e.1.tremely difficult during inclement weather. It
affected by seasonal factors

18H Pa&e II.
1 a.. pp. M •d ea.
*Ollld alao be aoted th&& t•1l7 1roup1 were aore Ut.•17 to be trm1•
1uta 111
or 11011-rHld•nta wltb Uttl• or no record or a11rat1011,
taa• wu true or unaiteiclled peraona. IH pp. 81 and ••
ttlN Chart 1, Chapter t; •d Table t, .&ppendU I, lll1Cla . . . . that tbe 111&11NI' or t•117 &l'OUP• under care 011 tile t1 rtHath or aa&Ja •oa~ l11cr•u••
at.H4117 dlll'lAI toaneen ot tile auten ao11tb1, 111d taat the auaber 1111del'
..... Oil Pebl'llU'J ta, . . . • .. IIOU tblll Ulre• ti.II•• tile IIIUINI' OD tile
• • • date a 7e&r earuu.

th•••••

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

seems probable that the difficalties of aiaratioa offer tile
best explanation of the fact that, on a basis of cases under
care, the nwnber of family groups never totaled as much as
one-quarter of the unattacheJ cases under care in the same
month, and on a basis of cases registered never totaled as much
as one-thirteenth of the unattached cases registered during
the same month. 1 (See Table 1, Appendix B.I
From this discussion of the mobility of unattached and futily group transients, it seems apparent that transiency as a
depression phenomenon was primarily the miizration of unattached
persons; and the reasons for this are not hard to find. Travel,
!or the unattached person, was relatively easy. The vast net1110rk of railroad communication carried hiJa directly and rapidly
into any section of the couut ry.
Shelter and food could be
obtained much more readily by the unattached person than by the
family group. Where transient bureaus were not available, the
unattached person could turn to jails, missioirs, municipal
lodging houses, a.nd, at w:>rst, the •jungles• for a night's
shelter; food could usually be obtaihed by solicitation, or in
exchange fora few hour's w:>rk,oras a result of "panhandling•.
In contrast, the family group, particularly when children or
~ed persons were included, was severely handicapped as to aeans
and rapidity of travel, and in securing food and shelter while
en route.
2. The mobility of unattached persons in individual States
as indicated by the relationship of lllOnthly registrations to
cases under care varied with the location of the State and the
season of the year. Chart VIII presents registrations and cases
under care reported by ten States located in different sections
of the country. 2 Registrations are shown b7 solid lines, and
cases under care by dotted lines.
When the ratios of total monthl7 registrations to each 100
cases under care on the ■iddle of the 11011th are COllputed for

1tr11tort.usiau11, tiler• 11&1 bee a t.cdco, t.o 1111 t.1&1 tot.al 1111ab1r ot ,,...
dhid11C1l.t 111 trualeat. t•U1 1ro11pa rat.Iler tllu t.111 a11aber ot t•UJ
tro~.t 1D aaltlDI coaparlaoaa btt.••• t.lae Duaber ot uaait.aOlltd ud t•UJ
croup t.rua1au. TIil ■ Ila■ led t.o tilt 1apr1&a1011 tllat. t•UJ 1ro11pa r•Pr,aat.ed 40 to 110 percut. ot Ult t.rualct. r11ut probl•, •1011 wu
true 01111 OD aa, bula ot t.la• tot.al Haller ot 1adlYU11ala rect1Y1q reUtt OD ODI
•&ell ■oat.la. 'DlU Y1H 1porl4 t.11• tact. t.llat. - · uaa~
t.ached t.ru ■l•t.• t.la• llaJt. of ao•••t. .., Hl.Ut ... tile ladlYldllal,
a u , aoq t.r•al•t t•lUH tile Ult. ot ao•••t. ucl rll.Ut wu tile

oa,

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Tile all1ct.1oa ot t.lla St&tH wu 4et.era1ae4 bot.I& b7 t.111 dealre to raport.
dUl•r•t. part.a of t.laa COllllt.1'1, _, b7 t.•• taot. t.la&t. t.lD ot tile t.laU'U•
clt.ua 1Dcluded la t.111 a,.. aru lact.1011•• atu«, ot t.raa1•t.a ••re 10oat.od la
Stat.ea.

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TRANSIENT REGISTRATIONS AND CASES UNDER CARE FOR SELECTED STATES

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CHART IX

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TRANSIENT REGISTRATIONS AND CASES UNDER CARE FOR SELECTED STATES
TRANSIENT FAMILY GROUPS

OIIGIN AND KOVBMINT OP TRI TRANSIINT
RILIBP POPULATION

theae ta State• at three-110ath iaterTal.a, 1 the reaulta are u
follow:
--

-- -

-----

-- - - - - -

f.
J.~T~LY R£r1 1~HliTIOlrl.~ Of UNATT,\(H[J PrnJO"lS PE~ 100 CA3(S UNOlR Ci\4(
Oh lfll r If TU NTH ' ~ JfTH) OF Till J,•()NTH, ~u~ :,fLfCHJ ~JT,\T(J ANO ~~TH'., ..

TAHU

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CAL l ► ORNI A

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127

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88

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213

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108

110

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12

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The aobili ty of unattached persons, as measured by the ratio
of monthly registrations to cases under care, was higher in
seven of the ten States during Auiiust, in t110 of the States
during Noveaber, and in one of the States during Ma,, thaa during the other months for which ratios were computed. But !or
all of the ten States excepting Arizona, mobilit)' was lower
during Februar7 than during M41, August, or Noveaber, 19311.
This suggests that low ■obili t)' during the winter 110nths was a
coaaon characteristic of the unat tacbed transient population
in all parts of the countr7-a Tiew that is con!il'lled bf the
ratios for Februar1, 193'.
The t1110 States in which 110bilit1 was higher during Noveaber
thu during the other aontlrs obse"ed, were Florida aad Louisiana.
This was partlf tire result of a ■oveaent of \lnattached
traasients to these States for the purpose of avoiding the
rigorous northern winter, ud partly the result of emplo111ent
possibilities in the winter resort centers. Tbe State in which
aobili t7 was higher in Ma, was Texas, where the demand !or
seasonal aericultural. labor attracted the unattached traasient.
The seven States in which aobilit)' was higher during Augvst
thaa during Noveaber, Februar,, or M.q, are so located as to
penai t the general conclasion that in .most parts of the couatrJ 110bili ty was detemined primarily by weather condi tioas.
lbweTer, it ■ust be noted that aobilitf varied widelr even
aong the seYen States in which it was hieh during Alaeast.
For ex•ple, there were 699 unattached persons reeistered in
Q>lorado, aad 152 in Arizona, !or each JOO persoas under care
on tbe fifteenth of the month.
The variation in aobility
1

rebl'll&rJ, Ila,, Alapai, U4 IOY•b•r ••r• ohOHll u , •• ■oauaa
oh111&l11& ■011111~ la tll• ,ea nat•• a,1,ott4.

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TRI TRANSIBNT UNEMPLOYBD

among the States was the result of a wide varietJ of circua>tances, including the policy and the facilities of tbe State
Transient Relief Administrations, scenic attractions, eaplo7ment opportunities, and the location of the State in reference
to main lines of travel.
An examination of family group registration aad cases under
care on the fifteenth of each month reveals the interesting
fact that in seven of the ten States represented in Chart IX,
the number of family groups under care did not exceed two thousand cases a month, and in eight of the ten States, registrations did not exceed one thousand cases a month. Therefore, in
most of the ten States, the ratios of monthly registrations to
cases under care wuld be unreliable indices of family group
mobility, because of the small numbers involved.
However, it is possible to draw some inferences concerning
family group mobility from the curves in C&art IX. In three of
the ten States-Louisiana, Texas, and Arhona-the number of
registrations and cases under care was much the sae during the
greater part of the sixteen monttrs exanined.
This indicates
relatively high mobility la ratio of approximately 1001 for
family groups, and suggests that families in these States were
en route to su.ch States as California, where 110bility, as indicated by the steady increase in the number of cases unde1
care despite a fairly constant numbero! registrations, was very
low. In Illinois, the number ot family groups under care varied
more than registrations, while in 'Washington, Florida, and
Colorado both registrations and cases under care varied considerably, at times in the same, and at times in opposite, directions. The accumulation of cases under care in California and
Washington, accompanied by a relatively Slllall monthly registration, may be taken as an indication that these States were the
destinations of roany of the family groups registered, and that
therefore 111obili ty within these States was low.
To a lesser
extent, this wa::; true of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Colorado,
and perhaps also of Illinois.
The only general conclusion concerning the mobility of fmaily groups that can be drawn from the data in Chart IX is that
family group 111obili ty was low, in comparison with unattached
transients, and that it was lowest in those States which appear
to have been the objective of fanily group migration.

Origins and Destinations of the Transient Relief Population
There remain to be considered the origins and destinationl
of the transient relief population. Origins will be presented
in tel'lls of the State of residence before migration; and destinations, in tenns of the net gain or loss that resulted from
the movements of the tran~ient relief population. The data and
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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF TBB TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

the discussion will be limited to those interstate lor 1''ederall
transients who were in some State other tb'Ul theone from which
they began migration, on the date of each quarterly census. 1

Origins
An examination of origins by geographic divisions discloses
the fact that at the end of each of the four quarters, the East
North Central Division !Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and
Wisconsin) ranked first as the origin of uni\ttached transients;
while the West South Central Division I Arkaasas, Louisiana,
Oklahoma, and Texas), ranked first as the origin of family
groups. I See Table 26, Appendix B; and Maps 1 and 2 .1 The East
North Central States were the origin o! 19 to 21 percent of the
unattached persons, ·and the West South Central States, of 18 to
21 percent of the family groups. The Middle Atlantic Division
(New York, New Jersey, andPennsylvi:Lllial was next in importance
as the origin of unattached persons; while the West North Central· Division !Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraslra, and Kansasl was second in importance at three
of the quarterly censusP.s as. the ori.;iu of family group transients.
The Mountain Division !Montana, Idaho, Wyominl;l, Colorado,
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevad-il was the least important
source of unattached transients, accounting for only 5 to 6
percent of the unat ti\ched transients at each quarterly census;
while the New England Division (Haine, New Hampshire, Vennont,
Massachusetts, Rhoue Island, and Connecticutl was reported as
the origin of only 3 percent of the transient family groups.
When the proportions of transients coming from the several
Geographic Divisions are compared with the proportions of the
total population living in these Divisions,' there is provided
a rough index of the importance of the different sections of
lThe tttau or or1g1o or all traolleots under care lo the Uo1tad States oo
the last dq or each quarter 111aa reported to the Division or Transient
4ct1Y1t1es, begioo1og w1tb the quarter ending SePtHber 30, t9M.
Data
ror tbe J.aat balf or 19:54 and tl.ie flrst h&l.t or 19:56 1111ll be used 10 tbU
dl8cuss1oo.
( see cootoota t, page 19l.
The quarterly reports or orig1os do not dist1ogu1sh 1oterstate tranaleots rro■ intrastate and resident ho ■ aless persons, 111itb the result
that States ( a. g. Peno11y l vaoial 111bi cb cared ror any conSlderabU nuaber
or intrastate and resident ho ■ uess persons could not be compared ac:curate4~ with States that cared only tor interstate transients.
In order to insure co ■parabllitY ror thl8 :1iscussioo or origins and
destinations, a subtraction was ■ ade tor each State or all persons whose
State or origin was the sue as the State in which they were reglatered
ror relier on the d&y the quarterly census 111a11 tall.en.
Thia procedure insure• that only interstate trusienta are cons~dered,
though it reduces their nu ■ ber sllghtlJ by ell ■ inatiog tn, interstate
traoaient lllbo happened to be passing through his State or origin and was
2regi stered at a tr&11si ent bureau iD that State on the day or tbe census.
Population or 1930, by 0110grapb1c Divisions.
See P'itteenth c.;euaua, Vol.
t, Table&. Tbesa data are included iD Table P~. APP&lldix 8,
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

the country as sources of transiency. I See Table 26, .Appendix
B. I The Census of 19~ shows that the Middle Atlantic Division
had the largest, and the East North Central Division, the
second largest, proportion of the total population.
Io co111parisoo, the East North Central was more important than the
Middle Atlantic Division as a source of both uoat tached and
fanily group transients.
The West North and West oouth Central Divisions ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the
proportion of the total population living in these Divisious
in 193), but ranked second and first as the origin of transient fa111ily ~roups.
Further comparison shows that the New
Eo~land States were under-represented and the Mountain States
over-represented in the transient population I both unattached
and fanily groupsl in relation to the population in these areas
in 1930.
It is apparent from the data presented in the preceding
par~raphs that there was a sigoificiant difference in the
origin of unattached and family 6 roup transients.
This difference may be conveniently stated in ienns of the proportions
of the two groups originating in the States East and West of
the·Mississippi River. (See Table F, below.J

_,. -~. -· f" '"'"'" "'
TA91.E F,

--~

PERCENTAGE OF UNATTACHED A>«l FAMILY GROuP TRANSIENTS ORIGINATING IN
STATES EAST A>«l WlST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

---~

19311

St P H.MtH lo! 30
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At each of the four quarterly censuses a majority of the
unattached transients were from States east of the Mississippi
River, while this was true of family groups at only one census.
Moreover, the percent~e of famiiy groups from the States to
the east decreased from 52 percent on September 30, 1934, to
45 percent on June ~O, 1935.
Referring again to origins by
geographic divisions (see Table 26, Appendix Bl, it can be
seen that this difference between unattached and fanily group
transients follows from the fact that the two mo:,t important
sources of unattached transients were the Rast North Central
and Middle Atlantic Divisions, in contrast with the West North
and West oouth Central Divisions, for family groups. This suggests that unattached transients came most frequently from
States that were industrial ratner than agricultural, whereas
the reverse was true of family groups.
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MAP NO I

STATE OF ORIGIN-INTERSTATE TRANSIENTS UNDER CARE
102,211 UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS.

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JUNE 30.1935

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TE RS TA TE TRANSIE
STATE OF OR IG IN -IN
MILY GROUPS
28.919 TRANSIENT FA
•

MA P NO. 2

JU NE 30 .19 35

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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF TBB TRANSIENT
RBLIBF POPULATION

When origu.s are considered by individual. States, it is
found that New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois were the States
aost frequently reported by unattached transients; and that,
collbined, _ these three States accounted for one-fifth of all
unattached transients at each of the four quarterly censuses.
(See Tables 27a and 27b, .Appendix B.I
Each of these States
contributed as many unattached transients as did the nine
States ol. the Mountain Division, and approximately the same
number as the six New England States. The States most frequently
reported as the origin of transient family groups were Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri.
These three States were reported
as the origin ol. 18 to 72 percent of the transient family
groups at each quarterly cer.sus; and each of the three contributed more family groups than did the six New England States.
In view of the frequent complaints of California citizens that
their State was being overrun by non-residents, it is interestinl!l to note that California was included among the I.our or five
most important States of ori 5 in for unattached persons, and
among the three to six most important States of origin for faaily ~roups at each of the I.our quarterly censuses.

Migration froa Rural and Urban Areu
The quarterly census of State of origin did not report the
nwaber of unattached and family group transients coming fl"OII
rural anu urban areas in each State. However, this inforaation
is available for transients registered in the thirteen cities 1
includedin the Research Section's study for the period Noveaber
Rural is taken to mean fanrs, open
193ti throueh April 1935.
country, and towns with a population of less than 2,500 persons; and urban, to mean all towns and cities of 2,500 or 110re
persons, as reported bf the Census of 19,:).
Using this rough division of rural and urban, it can be said
that both the unattached and family group transients were predominantly urbaa in origin. 1 ( See Table 28, Appenuix B. I Dur1
1ateratate tr••lutl rqlatlrad la tile tlllrtMA cltlH ca• !roa th•
HYeral lltatea la 1111c11 tile ••• proportion• u ••r• round tor tll• total
tranalnt population undar care la th• Dnlted lltatH at tile ud or •••
quarter.
TIie coerucunt or corre1auoa coaputed betwHa tile two dlatrlbuttoaa or or111n• bf lltatH, tor Decaber toM, •a• .915 tor botla
~nattached lad taUJ' 1roup tr&11alut1, w1t11 a probable error or .ot.
Tb• proportion or trualenta coalq rroa urbu cuter• waa coaalderablJ'
lll&her than the proporuoa or urban ruldent• 1.ll tile total popu!atloa ••
reported 1>1 Ul• 19!1> cuaua. It tll• total popu1&t100 or 19!0 1• c1aaa1t1ad
H urb&II Ud rural (uallll placuore,1500 populatlOD aatbl dU1d1a& U11e),
lt la round that Be percut were urbu la contra•& w1 tll appro.liaau11 110
perceat or tile unattacllad &ad 70 perceat or tll• r•UJ' croup tranalnta
111c1uded 10 &111• report.
In••• Tork llt&te 84 percut or tile 1930 populat1011 wu urban Wbll• •ll&lltl.1 o••r 00 perceat or tbe transl mt• rroa
••• Tork lltate ca• rroa ur•• cmtera. ID u acrlcultural lltate aucb ••
.lrk&aau, tile contrut la ••u aor• aarked. Tb• Cmaua report• 21 percu&
ot tba populat1011 •• ur~•• all• approz1 ■ate11 40 percmt or th• tr1aa1uu troa Arll.aa ...
11rb1a.

••r•

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TBB TRANSIBNT UNEMPLOTID

ing each of the six months examined, approxiaatelJ 80 percent of
the unattached persons and 70 percent of tbe family groups c•e
from places with 2,500 or 110re population . .Aaon11 tbe transients
that had lived jn rural areas before migration, the proportion
of families from farms and open country was only sli&htly higher,
while Lhe proportion from towns of less than 2, !500 population
was considerably higher, than the proportion of unattached
transients. 1 Indeed, most of the difference in the proportion
of the unattached and family group transients coming fro■ rural
areas is explained by the larger proportion of family groups
from the small towns I under 2,500 population I. The proportion
of transients from farms and open country varied from 6.2 to
7 .6 percent for unattached persons, and from 7 .6 to 9. 7 percent
for family groups; 1o1hile those fr001 to1o1ns of less than 2,500
population varied from 12.6 to 13.9 for unattached persons and
from 17.0 to 21.q percent for family groups.
The definition of urban as all places with 2,500 or more
population leaves unanswered the question of just how large
these towns and cities were that contributed approximately 80
percent of the unattached persons and 70 percent of the family
groups.
To answer this question, urban origins of transients
registered in the thirteen study cities were tabulated by certain customary size classifications for November and December,
193q, and March and April, 1935. The results are presented in
Table 29, Appendix B.
In each of the !our months examined, nearly half I q6.0 to
q7 .9 percen ti of the unattached persons came from cities of
100,000 or more population; bet1o1een 6 and 7 percent, from
cities of 50,000 to 100,000 population; an equal percentage
from cities of 25,000 to ~,000; approximately 8 percent from
cities of 10,00'.) to 25,000, and aoout 10 percent from cities of
2, 500 to 10,000 population.
Compared with the unat tac bed, a
smaller proportion of family groups cc111e from cities of 100,000
or more population; about the same proportions from the three
size classifications between 10,000 and 100,000; and a larger
proportion from cities of 2,500 to 10,000.
These findings as to the urban and rural origins of transients indicate that large cities I 100,000 or more population)
were the most important source of unattached transients, 1o1hile
for family groups, smaller places I under 10,000 population I

1
The tendency of rural residents to glve tbe 1ocat1on or tbe nearest post
orr1ce as tbelr address was recognU,ed ln tbe Research Section's study,
and apec1a1 efforts were made to avold tbls blaa by questlonln& each non•
Carm reglstrut aa to whether tbe realdence was wltbln or wltbout tbe
cl tl/' or town ua1ts or tbe place &l ven as tbe last resldence before algr.tlon.

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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OP TBB TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

were of about the same importance as lar&e ci.ties.
Farms and
open country cutside the towns were the source of a relatively
S1Dal.l porportioo of either group.
The small proportion or unattached transients from farms and
open country is a logical expectation in view of the large
number of unattached persons from such States as New York,
Pennsylvania, and Illinois, and from the East North Central and
Mid<lle Atlantic States as a "roup. It is a little surpri::.ing,
however, to find a relatively small porportion of f1111ily groups
from !arms and open country in view of the number coming from
the West North and West &:luth Central States as a group. It is
true that the proportion of families cowing frOll urban centers
12,500 or more population) in these States was S111al.ler than the
proportion from urban centers in States east of the Mississippi
River.
But it is also true that the proportion of families
from S11al.l towns <under 2,500 population) in the West North and
West &:luth Central Divisions was consistently lar~er than the
proportion from farDJs and open country.
In some months for
which information on urban and rural origius is available from
registrations in the thirt~en cities, nearly half of the families from the Drought States !North Dakota, oouth Dakota, Nebraska~ Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) in the West Central Divisions were from rural areas.
But even in these States the
proportions from 5111al.l towns and villages exceeded the proportions from farms and open country.

Destination-of the Transient Relief Population
Depression trausiency differed !rom the more faniliar types
of migration in this country in that it was a population movement which, more often than not, lacked a definite destination.
The better-known migrations in the United States have been the
movetRent of population to new land during the extension of the
frontier; and the shift of population from rural to urban areas
after the frontier had disappeared.
The participants in both
of these movements bad fairly definite objectives; and once
these objectives were reached, aperiod of settlement followed.
As a result it is possible to trace the effects of these migrations on the distribution of population. 1
The lack of a definite destination and the relatively short
period o! time for which observations are available, make it
difficult to detennine the effect that depression transiency
had on the relocation of population.
The origin of the transient relief population under care at each of four quarterly
censuses has already been shown; and from these census reports
it is a simple matter to detenuine the location of transient.s
on the day of the census. But since there is no as.surance that
1 SH

o. w. Thonatbwa1t1,
C11J.pb1a, 1934.

Internal M1arat1on

the Unltea States,
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TBB TRANSIBNT UNBMPLOTBD

the location of the transient relief population on the census
date represented more than a temporary break in their migration,
this information 1s an unsatisfactory indication of population
changes.
However,
when the location and the origin of the
transient relief population is reduced to a statement of net
gain or loss, by States, for each of the four quarterly censuses, it is evident that certain States consistently lost,
:uid others consistently gained, population.
The net gain or loss of each State has been canputed from
the quarterly censuses of State of origin of transients under
care 011 the last day of each -i.uarter during the last half of
1931' and the first half of 1935.
Only interstate transients
were included in these computations, 1 which involved for each
quarterly census the subtraction of the total number of transients from each State that wt!re under care in other States
loutflowl from the number of transients in that State from other
States linflowl.
The resuJts of these computations are shown
in a series of eight maps, numbered 3 to 10, inclusiye;
four
showing net gain or loss by States for unattached transients,
and the same number for transient family groups. The net ,ain
or loss of each State i:; :;hown by a circle of area proportionate
to the numiJer resulting from the subtraction of outflow from
inflow; and the amount of gain or loss appears below each circle.
Net gains are indicated by solid black circles and by numbers
without a sign prefixed, and net losses, by stippled circles and
numbers prefixed by a minus sign. A uniform scale I base circle)
was used in preparing the four maps for unattached persons, and
a unifonn, though different scale (base circlel was used in
preparing the four maps for family groups. 2
Unattached Transients. The maps representing net change in
the movement· of unattached transients show that the number of
States that had 6 ained or lost population at the end of each
quarter varied from census to census; and that this variation
was more pronounced in the States west, than in those east, of
the Mississippi River. J

Bee rootnote t, pa,e 75.

Data sbow1ng tbe State of or1g111 or 111teratate
transients uneler care 011 Sept•ber ~ anel December St, 1934, and 011
Karcb 31 anel June 30, 19:56, are to be rounel 111 Tables 27a and 2'1'b,
Append1~ B.
Hereafter these censuses wlll be referred to b7 ■ onths, to
avold
undue repetltlon or the da, or tbe ■unth and 1ear.
1
Tbe dl rrerence 111 the nuaber or unattached and ruuy group cases aecessltated a change of scale.
Therefore, co ■ par1s011e cannot be aade between
the 11u111ber of unattached and fully group transients on a basis of the
,area of tbe circ1es.
The Klss1Ss1PP1 Rlver 1s used tbroughout this d1scuss1on as a co11ve111tnt
east-west d1v1s1011 of the country.

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MAP NO. 3

NET GAI N OR LOSS. BY STA TES
UND ER CAR E
· UNA TTA CHE D TRA NSI ENT S
SEP TEM BER 30. 193 4

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NET GAIN OR LOSS. BY STATES

MAP NO. 4

UNATTACH ED TRANSIEN TS UNDER CARE
DECEMBER 31.1934

......
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MAP NO. 5

TES
NET GAI N OR LOS S. BY STA
UND ER CAR E
UNA TTA CHE D TRA NSIE NTS
MAR CH 3 1. 1935

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ST AT ES
NE T GAIN OR LOSS. BY
NT S UNDER CARE
UN AT TA CH ED TR AN SIE

MA P NO. 6

JU NE 30. 1935

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ORIGIN AND NOVDBNT OP TBB TRANSIENT
IBLIBP POPULATION

TABLE G.

NIJIIBER OF STATES WITH NET GAINS OR LOSSES F0~ THE l()V[loll:NT OF INTERSTATE
UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS, AT EACH OF FC)J0 QUART[OLY C£N5USES

----

- - --------~
E.ut o,

ALL suusA

5f.P'TEMH•

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M1s~1S$1PPI

ClNSU5 OAT!

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NET

GAIN

Loss

GAIN

Loss

GAIN

10
19

Dtcewau 31

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R1 V ~B

Loss

193,
Yue" 31
JUN(

z,19

F"olTY-t:IC.HT STATIS

...,

D1su1ct Of COLUMBIA.
Twu1TY-s1.1 SUTtS AJiiO T,1( 01sn1cT o, COL.UWIIA,
AND

TH[

Tbe au11ber o! States east o! the Mississippi River with net
eains or losses at each census remained fairly constant; while
west o! the Mississippi there was considerable variation. Furtberaore, thirteen States east of the Mississippi had net losses,
and five bad net eains, at each of the tour censuses. In contrast, only three States westo! the Mississippi had net losses,
and seven, net gains, at each of the censuses.
In all, then,
twenty-eiebt o! the forty-eight States and the District of U>lumbia either gained or lost in exchange of unattached transients
at each census; and the ranaining twenty-one States had mixed
gains and losses; that is, changed from gain to loss, or vice
versa, at least once during the period examined. These !indine;s
■ ay be conveniently arranged as follows:

States East of the Mississippi River
Net gain at
each census

Net loss at
each census

Mixed gains
and losses

District o!

Alabama
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Ma.ssachuset ts
Michigan
Mississippi
New Jersey
North Carolina
Rhode Island
&>uth Carolina
Vermont
West Virginia

U>nnecticut
Delaware
Indiana
Florida
Maine
New York
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia

U>lumbia
Maryland
New Hanpshi re

Ohio
Wisconsin

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TRI TRANSIENT UNBMPLOYID
State• W.at of th• Niulaalppl River
Nei 1aia at
Net losa at
Mixed eaiaa
each ceasus

eaclt census

Arhoaa
California

Iowa
Oklahoaa
South Datota

Louiaiaaa
NeYada

New Mexico
Utah
lfaalliagtoa

ud loues

Arkusu

.....

. Colorado
Iduo

Miaaeaota
Hiaaouri
Hoatua
Nebraska
Nortll Dllltota
Oreeon
Texas
V1oaia,
Of tile States witll persistent net iaias at each ceasus, tile
aore iaportaat were Ohio, 1 Harrlaad, ud tile District of Columbia, to the east of the Mississippi RiYer; aad Califoraia,
Louisiana, Arizona, aad New Mexico, to t be west.
The States
with the more important and persistent net losses at eacll census were Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina,
New Jersey, and West Virgiaia, to tile east, ud Oklalaoaa, to
the west, o! the Mississippi River. Both the peraisteac1 ud
the size of the aet aaiaa or net losses are evidence that definite shifts in the uneaplored population of tllese fourteea
States resulted froa tile aoveaent of uaattaciled truaieata.
To these States ia wllicll populatioa cllaqea were clearly
indicated, there should be added soae of the States ia wllich
net Kains and losses were ■ixed. But ia Yiew of the effect of
seasonal factors on the ■ove■esat of uaattached trusieats, 1 aad
the fact that observations are available for oal7 one year, it
does not seem advisable to atteapt aore thaa tentatiYe conclasions as to the aature of these chanaes. Fro■ the data aYailable it seems probable that New York, Peu51lvaaia, Iadiua,
and Kansas lost, and that Minnesota, Virginia,' Florida, Tenaessee, Montaoa,andColorado gained in the exchuae of uaattached
transients.
1 It s11eas probable that the persutent net gatn or 01110 was 1argel7 th• reaul t or a local ■ 1 gratlon rroa the al!Jolnlog States, partl cularl7 rroa lentucll.7 &od west '11rgln1a. Ill tbe dl acuasloll or inadequate rell er as a reason
ror algratlon (su PS&• e3), lt was Roted tbat WIien tbe standard or
rellet was actu&llY, or reputedly, hlgber ln 6ne State tbau another, the
dltterentl&l was an lnduc•ent to a1srat10n. Thus adalnlatratlve Cactora
rrequer&UY pl a7ed a part 1n dete"1D1Di Ule destlnatlon or tbe truslent
,re11tf POPUlatloa.
SH page '10,
1&10 111 V1 rs1n1 a was solelJ the ruult or tbe eatabll sbllent or a re&10llal
traol11D& cup at rort P1at1s, wblcb w1tb tbrH to rour thousand traataata
IUldtt' aare ■aa b7 rar tb• larceat cup 10 tbe coWltl"f,

'tn•

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MAP NO. 7

NET GAIN OR LOSS. BY STATES
FAMILY TRANSIENT GROUPS UNDER CARE
SEPTEMBER 30. 1934

•.

WO NT

-no

o•tG

0
-,,.

IC AH0

•

- i,~

0
""
·••

•

_,,

UTAM

0.,..

• ..

Ai=l •Z

-il l

,;~

(')
0

,......
('i)

...

~ '-!(Ir

;c;.

- ( / ~-'\ \ 0

NIT GAIN

HIT LOIi

...

w ,I

-2: !0 1

C01.0

"''"'"'
,

so•-.

w •O

·,

..,,..

•

•:~~

JO•

· _

0" ~"'

•

.;~~o
. .

o;.:o

• .;,;

.:.~

~·· 0

-2• 0

·'

0 •., 0.
• IO ZI

•

... ,

· HI

Tllri6M

,,,

- ,o,

ALA

.,, ,..

0
·•O •

NET GAIN OR LOSS . BY STATES

MAP NO. 8

FAMILY TRANSIE NT GROUPS UNDER CARE
DECEMBE R 31. 1934

M O NT

N DA"
- 2 72

-1 e .1

,,.

O A[ G

10.&."1 0

- 2 e1

N( V

- 20

..)

_.,

U TAM

•
-\

'0 "" A

- 2 0!1

•

N(B

-, 22

,.,

Ai:112

- 1

cg
~·

_____,

-1 !1 , 7

r--,

0....

NlT OAON

•= \ \ 0

4 0 00

(
(

(

I 10 0 •

NI T I.O S I

0 01 10

"4 N

CO LO

-1 2 1

-3.JI

WTO

g7 Q
.
.,,

W IS

- ll' J

SO A K

•

.: 0 9'" -~,~
,..
"',.Y

• 6 10

.
•.
.
.'.:: o ·:=
""

· !I O I

· ·~
LA ,

..
ALA

Q -~ ;.:

.,,

0 C

- 212

MAP NO 9

NET GAIN OR LOSS BY STATES
FAMILY TRANSIENT GROUPS UNDER CARE
MARCH 31.1935

M O °'IT

~Q;[G

< Ji3

,.
'"

UT'AM

-: l

0
•• l

-201

cg:
~·

arv

-;~,o

[,;

;~;

,,.
. - ~\
/'

""-------/

¥ 0

• le ?

. . T GAIN

,000

, ooo

""'
,oo

\~ )NIT LOU

••

• .
rr .. .._
U l

· 2~l

.!,.

',,l i SS

-~ 6.l

,o.
"

••• 0

O••O

. ;,~

•

C0 N N / · l!l1

oC •:·

.,.
0

O" •
.

0
SC
·Il l

· JOO

Q "\n ~~.~

- ~
:-,;)
~~
Otc

_w,~~

- •>

0...

·•·2 •

,o ....

Q1<;._A,

.
,,.

•-0 0
• t0
,.

w,s
_,,

-----

S C, &-.

COLO

__,,

-•O• .... . .

_,, .

w,o

:.:..,..

... ,......

0
0.......

•:) A>1Q

•

.,_ O•ot
• 130

-1 1 1

0101
C.

MA P NO . 10

NE T GA IN OR LOSS
. BY ST AT ES
FA MI LY TR AN SIE NT
GR OU PS UN DE R CA
RE
JU NE 30 . 19 35

,o .... o

- 327

N C, 6 ""

• 21'9

•

W YO

N (V

;c.·

;;;-

...

ur., M
• 73

111 6

A AI]

- 23 •

N ( T GAI N

MAU

0.,.

-•2•

.,....

- 0
O"L A

(

, aoo

(

:::

\\ 0

N I T LOS I

,-·<.si·
-212
0 y-

0" "

·l'H J

,ooo

•"

• l !1 2

,.,

arv,.......

11,11111"1

N ".., [ll

•

COLO

c;-)

U ")N T

-111

0 1H G

o · ,eo - •
CO NN

•ONA
·ill

•

;~~

0,..

,~~

0....
. 4111

-~
•
.""" _,
0

, ,- -. . ._ 0
'

0
eOJ

,,,

-o

,,.

A LA

~;~ 9
.
-

0,.,,,

N C
· 38 1

C CL

'6 0

ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

Combining the definite and the probable indications o1 population changes, it may be said that thirteen States gained, and
eleven States lost unemployed persons through the movement of
unattached transients. When these States are arranged in reference to the Mississippi River as an East-West diviuing line, the
results are as follows:
Population
gains

Population
losses

East of Miaaiaaippi River
Ohio
Marylanu
District of
Columbia
Virginia
Florie.la
Tennessee

Michigan
Massachusetts
Illinois
North Carolina
New Jersey
West VirKinia
New York
Pennsylvania
Indiana

Weat of Miaaissippi River
California
Louisiana
Ariwna
New Mexico
Minnesota
Montana
Colorado

Oklahoma
Kansas

These findings as to population changes show that unattached
transiency was a aovement out of the State:» in the Northern and
Northeastern sectionli of the country, into the States in the
Southern, Southwestern, and Western sections. The migration was
principally into areas that were attractive by reasons of climate, topography, anu repute; but areas that were unlikely to
afford 110re than short-time seasonal employment.
Therefore, it seems possible to draw these general conclusions:
The depression migration of unemployed I unat tacheul
persons was aJ/laf from the areas that, trom the economic point
of view, would be most likely to d!tonl employment to them
when inuustry recovereu from the uepression phase; that the
redistribution ot population resultiu" Irom unattacheu transiency was ot a temporary nature; anu that the greater part of
this D10lJile unemployed group would return to urban-industrial
areas as economic conditions improved.
Transient fa,,.LlV Groups. The number of States that
had
gained or lost population from the movement ot trans· ~ nt f · · 1y
iiroups showed little variation. from census Ctl!i)tizlt.e.g,susO
Ji e

THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

enJ o! the four quarters for which data are available, seventeen to nineteen States had net gains and thirty to thirty-ii«>
ha<l net losses.
The number oI States east o! the Mississippi
River that had net gains or net losses at each census was almost identical with the results shown in Table G, page 81, !or
unattached trausients; while we:;t o! the Mississippi, the variation in the nu1nber oI States with net gains or losses was less
marked than for unattached persons.
A summary of the number
and location o! States o! net gain and loss at each census,
comparable to Table G for unattached persons, is presented below in Table H.
TABlE H.

•u"BER OF STATES WITH NET GAl•S Oil LOSS[', FROU TH[ '10VE"ENT or INTERSTATE TRANSIENT
FAYILY GROUPS, AT EACH OF FOUR ?JARTERLY CENSUSES
EAST Of

ALL

s,ncs"

GAIN

Lo~s

Wf.ST OF

.., r u,ss1ss,PP1
R1vu 6

~Al N

--~- - - -

Loss

193•
5fPTE .. IU.R
0[CfM8ER

30
31

19
17

193'
Uuc1t 31
JutiiE 30

FOATY-[IG"T

TwtNfT-SII STATES ANO

STATES AHO THE

l:J

31
32

17
19

DISlRICf OF COLUMBIA.

T"f. OISflllCf Of COLUMBIA.

The number, though not the identity, o! States east of the
Mississippi River, that had persistent net losses, and net
~ains, or mixed gains and losses at each o! the !our censuses
was practically the same for family groups as !or unattached
persons.
West o! the Mississippi, the number o! States with
persistent net gains was the same, but, as shown by the comparison below, the nwnber with persistent uet losses, and with
mixed gains and losses 1>as decidedly different:
Net gains
each census

Net losses
each census

Mixed gains
and losses

East o! Mississippi River
Family groups
Unattached persons

5
5

14
13

West o! Mississippi River
Faiuily groups
Unattached persons

7
7

8
9

This comparison shows that the significant difference bet1>een family groups and unattached persons lies in the marked
increa::;e in the number of States west o! the .Mississippi River
that had persistentnetlosses without at the same tim.~ reduc·ng
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ORIGIN ANO MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

the number of States with persistent net gains in the same section.
This implies that an important part of the population
movement resulting from family group transiency was entirely
within the area west of the Mississippi River.
The identity
and location of States with persistent net gains or losses,
and with mixed gains and losses, for family groups, are 3hown
below:

States East of Mississiopi Hivcr
Net ~ain at
e,1ch census

Net lo3s at
each census

Mixed ~ains

District of
r.,ol umb i a
Florida
New II amp shire
Ohio

Connecticut
Georgia
lndi ana
Kentucky
Haine
Massachusetts
Mississippi
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
$outh Carolina
Vermont
Vireinia
West Virginia
Wi scan sin

Alabama
Delaware
Illinois
Maryland
Michigan
New Jersey

Tennessee

and losses

New York

Rhode Island

States West of Mississippi River
California
Colorado
Kansas
Louisiana
New Mexico
Oregon
Washington

Arizona
Idaho
Iowa
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Utah

Arkansas
Minnesota
Hi ssou ri
Wyoming

A comparison of this with a similar classification for unattached persons I pp. 81-821 shows that of twelve States that had
persistent net gains for each group, seven !Ohio, New Hampshire
District of Columbia, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, and
Washington) were the same. In addition, the three States west
of the Mississippi River with a persistent net los·s of unattached persons were included among the el ~\ll~necSlfa t:-e 9 ·
~ at
area with ~. riersist;;iit net loss of family ~rour,~- Therefore,

THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

more nearly alike as to destinations than ong10s.
Among the States with a persistent net gain of family groups,
California was easily the most important; and Washington, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Oregon, New Mexico, and Louisiana followed,
approximately in the order named.
The States with the more
important and persistent net los::;es at each census were Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Nebraska,
and &luth Dakota. Although both net gains and losses of family
groups were smaller, they were more consistent than wa::. true
of unattached transients; that is, there were fewer States
that changed from net gain to net loss, or vice versa, al one
or more of the Lour quarterly censuses.
This may be taken as
additional evidence of the lower mobility of family groups in
comparison with unattached persons, a::. well as the lesser effect
of seasonal factors on their movements. 1
In addition to the States with relatively large net gains
or lo::;ses of family groups at each census, there were a nu,11ber
in which the gains or losses, thou~h smaller, were of sufficient Lnportance to wc1.1·rant tlieir inclusion a.1iong States i.i
which definite population shifts occurreu.
On thi::; basis,
Kansas, Tennessee,and the District of r,01umbia should be aoded
to the list of States that gained; and Massachusetts, North
Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, Nonh Carolina, Georgia, Montana, Idaho, anJ Arizona, to the list of States that lost population. And finally, three of the States that had mixed gains
and losses might be classifieu tentativel;; as having gained or
lost population as a result of the uiigration of family groups.
It seems probablt that New Yo1·k gaiued, and Arkansas lost, moder;i.tely; "lohile tne loss in "Missouri was 1·elativdy large.
\\'hen the States with <lefini te, aud those with probable, indications of population changes are comtined, it mey be said
that twelve States gained c1.nd eighteen States lost population
as a result of fdinlly group migration. The identity and location of these States are presented below:
Population
gains

Population
losst:s

East of Mississippi River
Ohio
Florida
New York
Tennessee
District of
ColUlllbia

Keu t ucky
Pennsylvania
Mississippi
Massc1.cliu setts
Virginia
West Virginia
l"-,orth Cc1.roliua
Georgia

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ORIGIN AND MOVEMENT OF THR TRANSIENT
RELIEF POPULATION

Population
gains

Populatiou
losses

West of Mississippi River
California
Washington
Colorado
Oregon
New Mexico
Louisiana
Kansas

Oklahoma
Texa:.
Nebraska
North Dakota
South Dakota
Hissouri
Arkansas
Montana
Idaho
Arizona

This analysis of family group migration show:; that the more
i11portant movemeut was away from States in the West Central
section of the country, aud particularly from the States in the
But there
Drought Area, to the States on the Pacific Coast.
is also a fairly clear iudication that east of the Mississippi
River there were conflicting moveuients of families North and
South, and perhaps, East and West.
West of the .Mississippi River, the movement to the Pacific
Coast States suggests a migration for the purpose of permanent
relocation; while the gains of Colorado and Kansas suggest both
the concentration o! · !a111ilies moving out of the Drought Area,
Out of the
and the slow movement towards the Pacific Coast.
conflicting movements east of the Mississippi River, Florida,
because of its climate, gained population from the States along
the Atlantic Coastline; anu Tennes::;t:e gained population from
the adjoining States as a result of the Tennessee Valley deOtherwise the movement was out of the Southt:rn
velopment.
States, and ::;u~~ests a search for work, or higher 1elief :standOne evidence of this movement was the persistent net
ards.
gains of Ohio and the District of Columbia. The net gain in New
York State suggests a movement in response to a real or imagined
differential in relief standards.
These findings point to the general conclusion that family
group migration resulted in more definite population changes
west, than east, of the Mississippi River. However, the lower
110bility of family groups, the difficulties of travel, and the
tendency of States to accept responsibility for non-resident
relief families after a stay of one year, are valid reasons for
believing that, in both areas, family group migrations resulted
in more permanent shifts in the population than was true of unat ta.ched persons.
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Chapter V

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Su..ary
The transient relief population cousisted o! uuattached individualsaud family groups who were not legal residents of the
com111uni ty in which thei applied for relief.
Because nonresidents were int:li~ible !or relief !rom existing public agencies, special provision !or their care was included in the
Federal F.i.ne1·gency Relief Act of May, 1933. In tlte admiuistration of relief under this prov.ision, transients were defined
as unattached persons or family groups th at haci not resided
for one continuous year or longer within the boundaries of the
State at the time of applicatiou for relief.
Earl:, in the depression there were indications of au inc.;rease
in the number o! needy non-residents.
During the fall and
winter of 19~. municipal lodl(ing houses, missions, and shelters
in metropolitan aredS rt!ported tlli.1.t, iu cumparison with previou::.
years, the number o! homeless men seeking assistance was incre~ing rapidly. At about the same time, States in the &>uth
and West became alarmed at the influx o! needy non-residents.
Hecause these depression migrants were constantly on the
move, it wa::; impossible to determine the numuer o! di!ferent
individuals includt!d. During the Congre::.sional hearings on relief legislation, the number o! transients was estimated to be
between one aud one-half and five million persons. These estimates proved to be greatly in excess of the number of transient::.
who received care under the Transient Relief Pro~ram.
The overestimates of the transient population were largely
the result of applying the term "transient" to all homeless
persons without -reference to whether or not they had legal settlement; and the estimation of the total transient populatiou
fro1n ouservations in areas where transients were most numerous.
The Relief Act of 1933 did not refer to transients as such,
but to "needy per:,crns who have no legal settlement". When the
Federal l<'mergency Relief Administration defined legal settlement
as residence for twelve con::.ecu ti ve 111ou t hs in a St ate. it excluued
the 1·esidt:ut homeless of the laq(e cities, who had been considereu a part of the non-residt!nt, or transient, population.
Even after the inauguration of tlie Transient Relief Program,
it was impossiule to determine with iJJ!Y degree of accuracy the
size of this relief group. Actually, the transient population
was not a definite and fixed group in the total relief population, but one that changed its membership constc:illtly and was
never the same on any two days in any one place.
Based upon
total monthly registrations for relief, the transient relief
population reached a peak in August 1934 of ~5,000 unattached
persons and 16,000 family groups. But based upon the numuer of
persons receiving care on one full da,y each month, the high

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

point was 176,000 unattached persons on January 1,, 193,, and
QQ,000 f•ily aroups on Feuruacy 1,, 193,.
Total monthly registrations included duplications resultini
from the rapid movement of part of the population; while the
nu11ber under care on ooe full ua,y a month diu not incluue those
en route.
Therefore, the size of the population durini any
month was somewhere l>etween the nuniber registered uuring the
aonth anu the number uader care on one da,y during that month.
Careful eati■ ates place the 11aximwn size durina the operation
of the Transient Relief Proaraa at 200,000 unattached persons
anu ,:J,000 family 11roups.
But because the transient relief
population was constantly undergoing a chan11e of membership,
it seems probable that the number ol. individuals anu fawil,
groups that at so11e ti.11e received assistance from transient
bureaus was two to three times these estimates.
The personal cbaracteristicsol. the mobile relief population
were determined from registrations in thirteen cities, selected
to represent the several sections of the country. 1 During a
period of twelve mouths IMa,y 193q to April 193~1, approximately two-thirus of the unattacheu persons and one-half of
the heads ol. fc111ily groups registered I.or relief in these
cities were between the ~es of sixteen and thirty-five Jears.
The median ~e ol. unattacheu persons was between twenty-five
and thirty years; and the median &11eof l.amily heads was betweeu
thirty-three and thirty-five years.
Very few unattacheu wanen were included in the transient
relief population. Throu11hout the sane twelve-month periou for
which ~e data were obtained, the proportion of unattacheu women was less than 3 percent e.sch month.
However, women were
frequently the heads of transient family groups; anu when all
memben of l.aail;y groups lhead and othersl were considered, it
was l.ound that females slightly outnumbered ■ ales in these
groups.
The great majority ol. transients were native white persons.
The proportion of Ne.:roes among unattached transients 17 to 12
percentl was higher e&;h month than among heads of !<1111il:;
groups (q to 6 percentl. Foreign-born whites uiJ not exceeJ ~
percent ol. the unattached persons, nor 8 percent of the beaus
of family grnups in any of nine months for which registrations
were examined; Oriental and other color and nativity groups
represented only a very small proportion of either unattached
or family group transients.

\tost or t11e a,ta prei.entea 1i. tn1s i.un1111 .. r,v "'"'"e obtalaea Crom a s.ieclal
atuay of truis1eoti. re"1sterec:I 1n tnlrteen c1t1es. To no1<1 uaaue repet1t1oo, rererence to tn11 tolrteen c1t11111 nas rre.:iuentli' been 011ltte<1 111 tn1s
.iullllQar,v. Tnl s i.tucly was 11a<1e b.Y tne Reuarcn Section, D1 v1i.1011 or Re.iearcn,
Stat1:.t1c .. , anc1 f'111411ce, f'11aer..i Elli er.ency Reuer .Aaa1n1 :;tratlou.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

Approximately BO percent of the unattached persons registered throughout a period of six months reported that they were
single; 10 percent, widowed or divorced; 4 percent, separated;
and 6 percent, married.
Among the heads of filllily groups, 84
to 88 percent reported themselves as married; approximately 7
percent, widowed or divorced; 6 percent, separated; and 1 to 2
percent, as single.
Measured in terms of school years completed, transients were
fairly well educated. Only 2 percent of the unattached persons
and 3 percent of the neads of family groups had no formal education, and approximately t...o-thirds of both groups had agradeschool education, or better.
Native white transients ranked
first in years of schooling completed; foreign-born wbi tes,
second; Negroes, third; and other color and nativity· groups,
last.
The average transient relief family was smaller by about
one person than the average family group in the general relief
population.
During a period of eight months I September 1934
through April 1935), the average size of transient families
was between 3.0 and 3. 2 persons; while the average size of families reported by the Unemployment Relief Census of October,
1933, was 4.4 persons.
Over a period of seven months, 95 percent of the unattached
persons and 90 percent of the heads of family groups were employable in terms of physical ability and expressed willingness
to work at the time of registration for relief. The principal
reasons reported for those unable to do gainful work were temporary and permanent disabilities, old age, and, among 1«:>men
heads of family groups, the care of the fanily. Broad groupings
of usual occupations show that the proportion of unskilled and
semi-ski.lled workers in the transient relief population was
higher than the proportion of such "iOrkers in the general population.
Somewhat over half of the unattached persons and heads of
family groups reported that the duration of the last employment
at their usual occupation before migration was eighteen months
or longer. In contrast, over half of the jobs secured by transients during migration lasted less than t\11'0 months; and nearly
one-quarter, less than fifteen days. Moreover, only about onethird of the unattached persons and two-fifths of the heads of
family groups found any non-relief employment during their
wanderings. When the nature of this employment is examined, it
is found that a considerable proportion consisted of seasonal
and casual pursuits.
The most frequent reason for the depression migration of
needy persons and family groups was unemployment. Other reasons
of importance in the formation of the transient relief population were ill health, search for adventure, domestic trouble,
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

aad iaadequate relief.
It was seldom, howeYer, that a single
reasoa provided an adequate explanation of tile presence of the
individual. or f•ily group on the road. Therefore, a statistical statement of reasons !or ■ igration is usw in this report
to indicate the order of importance among the priacipal. reasoas,
aad brief SWlllllaries of. typical cases, to describe the contingeat
c i rc11■ st aaces.
The ex•ination of reasons !or wigratioa sllotti that depre~
sion traiasieacy was not a si ■ ul taaeous •~rratio■ ia response to a single cause or ero11p of cases.
Iastead, the
truaieat relief population wu coastaatt., recei.Yiq additioas
frOII tile resident population. Duriag U7 oae - t h , the traasieat populatio1 was co■posed of persoas vllo luul bee1 01 tile
road for varying periods of ti■ e.
Ower a period of seve1
ao1ths, 1, to 21 percent of the uaattached persoas, ud 11 to
16 perceat of tile fuily groups bad be~•• ■iaratioa Jucine the
sue aoath ia lllllich they registered for relief. During part of
this period, the transient poplllation was decli1iq i1 both the
tbirteea cities ud the total United States. Therefore, it is
apparent that at ti ■ es withdrawals Irom tlae traasient population aust have been equal to, or in excess of, additions.
Further evidence that the transient relief population was
constutly chantilli ae■ bership, and that its si~ was checked
by witlldrawals, appears in the proportio1 of. traasients that
bad beea OD the road for a period of six 110aths or less. During
eacll of the sevea aonths ex•ined, rou~hl7 oae-haU to tlareefiftlls of the unattached persons anJ f•ily aroups llad begu ■
■ igratioa wi thia the six ■onths precediag a■ d i ■ cluding the
ao1tla of reeistration.
If there had beea ao withdrawals
dariag tllis period, the size of. the tr•sieat population and
tile proportion that bad been on the road for ac>re than si.JL
■01tlls, m11ld have iacreased rapidly,
wllicll was aot the case.
Total IUaited Statesl ■onthly registratioas varied ■ucil
■ore tllu did the au■ber of transient» aader care 01 one da,
eacll ■oath. Although some of the variatioas .were caused by
cllages ia tile rate at which newcomers were added to the populatioa, tlleaore iaportaut cause was the chaRie ia tlae aobili ty
of tlloae alread7 in the population.
Mobilit1 was relativel1
low d•rine tile late fall and the greater part of the wiater
1101tlas. Beginaine in the eacly spring, there w~ a ■ arked iacrease in ■obility that continued until tbe end of. Au~ust.
There&Lter, ■ability decreased until the end of. February. Unattaclled transients were ■ uch more mobile than transient f•ilies; but the ■ability of both groups was aaaisLallablJ ia!l11eaced by seasonal factors.
The seasonal iacreue i• ■obili ty
wu principally a response to the obvious adY•tages of traveliag wllea the weather was mild; but it wa also a response to
the d•uds, or possibili tJ of demands, ol . ~aso ~ - a~ cries
.
Ll1g1t1zed by
0 8
for a aob1le labor supply.

THE TRANSIENT UNBHPLOTBD

When the origins of the transient relief population ltot&l.
Uni teJ Statesl are considered, it is found that unattached
transients cane principally from the States to the east, and
transient families from States to the west, of the Mississippi
River. The East North Central Di visiou (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan,
and Wisconsin) ranked first a::. the origin of unattached transients; while the West South Central Division I Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texasl ranked first as the oriain of transient f.nilies.
The proportion of transients coming fl'OII the
several sections of the country did not correspond exactly with
the proportion of the total population livina ia theae sections
as reported by the Federal Census of 193'.).
However, the lack
of correspondence was areater for f111ily, thau for unattached,
transients.
The proportion of transients coming from rural and urban
areas could be determined only for registrants in the thirteen
cities included in the Research Section's study. During aperiod of six months, approximately 80 percent of the unattacbeJ
persons and 70 percent of the family groups cane from places
with 2, 5'.)0 or more population.
Furthennore, transients from
rural areas ca111e more frequ ently from small towns luoJer 2,5:'.JO
population! than from farms and open country.
Mo1·e often t!Jan not, transients lacked a definite destination, and their oovements were determined to a large extent by
climate, curiosity, and rumor. There was no assurance that the
location of the transient relief population as reported by oneday quarterly census I total Uni teJ States I represented more
than a temporar)' break in their migration.
However, when the
location and the origin or the population was reduceJ to a
statement of net gain or loss, bj· States, for each of four
quarterly censuses, it was evident that certain States consistently lost, anJ others con s istently gaineJ, population.
Thirteen States east or the Mississippi River showed a net
loss of unattached transients at each or the lour quarterly
censuses, while four States and the Di strict of Colwnbia showed
net gains.
Only three States west or the Mississippi had net
losses, and seven, net gains, at each ceusus. In all, twentyeight or the forty-eight States and the District of Columbia
either gained or lost in exchange of unattached transients at
each or the censuses; and the re11aining twenty-one States
changed from gain to loss, or vice versa, at least once during
the period examined.
Or tbe States with persistent net gains of unattached transients the more important were Ohio, Maryland, and the District
of Colu111bia, to the east of the Mississippi River; and California, Louisiana, Ariwna, and New Mexico, to the west.
The
Stc:Lte:;; with the more important net losses of unattached trdllsieuts at each census were Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois,
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

North Carolina, New Jersey, and West Virginia, to the east, anJ
Oklahoma, to the west, of the Mississippi River.
The number o! States east of the Mississippi River that had
persistent net lossE:s, and net gains, or net gains and losses,
at each of the four censuses was practically the same for family groups as !or unattached per:;ons. West of the Mississippi,
the number of States with persistent net losses, and with mixed
gains and losses was decidedly different.
Eleven States west
of the Mississippi had persistent net losses of families, and
only four haJ 111iJ1.ed gains and losse::;. In comparison, only three
States west of the Mississippi had consistent net losses, and
twelve had mixed gains and losses of unattached transients.
Among the States with persistent net gains of family groups,
California was easily the most important; anJ Washington,
Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Oregon, New Mexico, and Louisiana
followed, approxima't.ely in the order named.
The States with
the more important and persistent net losses at each census
were Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Mississippi,
Nebraska, and North Dakota. Al though both net gains and losses
o! fillllily groups were S11aller, they were more consistent than
was true of unattached transients; that is, there were fewer
States that changeJ from net gain to net loss, or vice versa,
at one or more of the four quarterly censuses.

Conclusions
Some of the conclusions of this study o! the transient relief population l1ave ueeu presented in connection with the descriptive data o! the preceding chapters. Others, that depend
upon the study as a whole, have been reserve<l until a summary
of the more i111ponant findings has lieen presented.
It is believed that this report contains sufficient justification !or
the general conclusions which follow.
The transient population was the result of two circumstances-widespread unemployment anJ population mobility. The
relief problem presented by this group was the result of a third
factor-legal settlement lor residence I as a prerequisite for
relief from public and priva·te agencies in each community.
Population mobility is so familiar a circumstance in this country as to tie considered a chc1racte-ristic; and unemployment becomes a problem during each economic depression.
It was the
conjunction of these two circumstances that formed the transient population i\lld invoked the third factor. Because communities have always considered the claims of their unemploye<l
residents as superior to those of non-residents, the transient
population bec•e an unwanted an<l excluded group in the general
unemployed population.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

Except for the fact that they were non-residents, there seems
little reason for considering transients as adistinct &.nd separate group.
Al.though they could be distinguished from the
resident unemployed, it was principally because they were
younge1·, and included a greater proportion of unattached persons.
Actually the transient population represented the more
active and restless element among the great number of unemployed
created by the depression.
Migration offered an escape from
inactivity; and in addition, there was the possibility that all
communities were not equally affected by unemployment.
The evidence in this report points to the conclusion that
migration was an unsatisfactory solution of the problems that
faced the unemployed during a depression period.
Although
nearly half of the transients studied found some employment
during migration, most of this employment vas of short duration.
Moreover, the high mobility of the population was evidence that
the transient found communities very much alike so far as the
possibility of resettlement was concerned.
This depression migration lacked adefinite destination, and
thereby differed from the more familiar types ·of population
moveme,lt. During the decade prior to the depression, the trend
in population movement was from rural to urban areas. In contrast, tht transient relief population was predominantly urban
in origin, and these migrants traveled from city to city. This
highly urban population was in search of cities that were less
affected by the depression than the ones they had left; and,
as a result, their movements were governed largely by rumor
and curiosity.
Despite the aimless cross-currents of their movements, the
transient population displayed a tendency to come more frequently from certain areas, and to go more frequently to
others.
There was a tendency for States east of the Mississippi River to lose 1nore transients than they gained, although
this was more clearly evident in the movement of unattached
transients thdll of family groups.
The compensating tendency
was for States in the ~est and Southwest to gain more transients than they lost.
Urban centers in Massacilusetts, New
Jersey, Illinois, and Michigan lost unattached transients to
urban centers in New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
The
more important movement of family groups 111as from the towns and
cities of the States immediately west of the Mississippi River
to urban centers of California, Oregon, and Washington.
It seems apparent that a migration which resulted in an addition to the urban population of New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon,
1
.fashington, and even of California, 1111st leave serious problems
of assimilation, particularly when the ■igrants were without

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

resources. The sa11e may be said o! the persistent "ains o! unattached transients in Louisiana, and o! family groups in Tennessee and Florida.
The wi"ration o! a consideralile pa1·t oI the transient relief
population appears to have been a waste oI e!!ort. Much o! the
movement was away !rom urban areas that !rom the point o! view
o! economic development were 111ore likely to aI!ord employment
than were the areas which pa1·ticulady attracted the transient.
As business and industry recover, 1 t may lie expected that many
oI the depression transients will return to areas similar to
the ones they le!t.
It seems evident !rom this study that the prnl>le111 o! depre::;sion transiency can l>e solved only through an adjustment o!
this mobile labor supply to areii:> where there is a demand !or
their services. Resettlement aud std1>ili ty are contingent upon
economic opportunity.
The argument that the so] ution o! the transient problem can
be accomplished tiy an immediate return of all needy nonresidents to their place oI scttle111ent appears to confuse the
legal with the economic aspects o! relief.
Moreover, it has
been shown 1 that o! a representative sample oI the transient
relief population only slightly over one-hal! had verifiable
legal settlement in a specific community. But aside !rolD this
obvious di!Iiculty, there seems to be little logic in attempting to facilitate the return oI trllllsients to places o! previous residence until, and unless, there is an opportunity !or
them to resume gainful enployment.
Therefore, it seems highly 11robable that the dissolution o!
the transient population will proceed only as rapidly as business and iudust1·y can prnvide the enployment essential to stability.
To whatever extent this provision falls short, the
transient problem will remain unsolved.
1See Leglll Settl .. ent St&tus and Re~1<1ence H1story or Trans1ents, Researcll
Bulle t1n TR-9, Federal laergency Rull er Adaln11 trat1011, wa:rn1ng ton, D. C.,
Au&U•t ,o, 19,,.

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APPENDIX A

Bills and Hearings Concerni•g
Transient Relief

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TBB TRANSillfT ONBMPLOTID

A careful examination of the relief bills introduced ia the
Congress from December 2, 1929, until March ti, 1933, shows that
there were twelve bills which contained some proYision for relief to needy non-residents. These bills are listed below in
chronological order. The letters 11 H. R. 11 and •s. 11 before the
bill numbers refer to the House of RepresentatiYes and the
Senate, respectively. No record could be found of public hearings on six of these bills. The dates of the bearings on the
others are liste<.I, under the appropriate headings. Copies of
these bills and the hearings, when held, were printed by the
Government Printing Office, Washington, D C.
This information was compiled by the Research Library, Federal F..nergency Relief Administration.

Number

Title

Commit teo=

Author

Date of
lntr~
ductioo

Hearings

To provide !or
cooperation b)'
the Federal
Goveromeot with
the several
States in relievin11 the
hardship anJ
suUerin11 ca.used
uy untfflploymo=nt,
a.nu fo1· other
purposes.

CoauDo=rce
d1s..:har«ed
and relerreJ to Haoufactures
Dec. 17

Costigdll

Decemuer
9, 19'i l

Dece11ber
28, 29,
19'i l;

1711

262

HanufacTo provide for
tu1·es
assisting the
several St ates
a.nd their political subdivisions in meo=tin1 the expense
of e111er11ency relief activities
a.ncl to provide
for the relief
ol the unemployed.

"°·

January

1932

La Follett,:,

Deceaber

9, 1931

28,29, 3),
1931;
January
q...9,

1932

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BILLS AND BIARINGS CONCIINING TRANSIENT RELI!P

Nlllll>er

Title

eo-ittee

Author

R. i.
6716

To provide relief
!or unmployed
itiner•t wrkers
havi ne no peraaaent residence.

Labor

La Guardia January
1932

R.R.

To provide !or
oooperatioa by
the Federal
Goweruent with
the several
States in relieviae the
hardship ud
su!!erine caused
b7 uamployaeat,
ad !or otller
purposes.

Labor

Lewis

January
20, 1932

February
1-!5, 10,
11, 12,
1932

For relief o!
unmployed.

Labor

Lovette

February
8, 1932

No record

To &11thorize appropriations !or
the OODStruction o! rural
post roads in
t!le seYeral
St ates !or the
purpose of taraishine mploy■eat ud thereby relieviaa tile
llardship aad
su!!erine cused
by tbe eiistin&
depression, and
to provide !or
cooperation by
the Federal
Government with
the several
States ia relievin& the hardship
ud su!!eriae
caused by uaeaployaent, aad !or
other J:>llrposes.

Post
OUicea
aad Post
Roads

Black
ud
Bulkley

Februar7
16, 1932

No record

80~

R.R.
8~

s.
3670

Date o!
htroduction

Hearin&

No record

"·

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THE TRANSIENT UNKMPLOYID

NWBber

Title

Co111111i ttee

Author

Date of

learillca

latroductiOII

H.R.
IJ592

s.
5121

To provitle for
Ways and
Means
cooperation by
the Federal
Government with
the several
States in assisting persons, incl uui ni; veterans
of the .·J rld War,
who are suf Ierin.i
from bartlship
caused by unE!llployment, anti !or
otber purposes.

Lewis

Hay 6,
1932

No record

To provide for
Manufaccooperation by
tures
the Feueral
Government with
he s~veral
__ ,es in assistpP.rsons, in'.i ng veterans
{ the World War,
• · are suIIerin11
10.dship caused
by un employ111en t,
,\Dd for other pur;_1oses.

Costigan

Hay 6,
1932

Hay 9,
1932;
June IJ,
1932

'Io ame-ntl title I

Cutting

Decea-

January
13 to 25,
1933

Manufac~ - the &nerjjt::ncy
tures
Relief and Con•·l ruction Act of
1932, approved
.' •1ly 2.l, 1932, by
,...oriz.ini; co"- eration by Fetl'1 Government
·b the several
tes and Terriies in relievdi stress among
,,ployed needy
:1sien ts.

ber 8,
1932

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BILLS AND BBARINGS CONCERNING TRANSIENT RELIEF 99

Nllllber

Title

ro-itte

Autbor

To •end tbe Faeriency Relief
and Con::;truction
kt of 1932.

Hanufactures

Costigan
and La
Follette

To provide I.or
cooperation by
the Federal

Ways and
Hean::;

5125

B. R.
13995

Lewis

Date of
Introdue Lion

8earin1rs

Decem-

January
3-17;
Februl{
2, 3,
1933

ber 8 ,
1932

January
3, 1933

the several
States in relievintt the banlship
and suffering
caused by 11nenplo)'lllent, and for
other p11rposes.

s.
5363

To provide for
housing, feedin1t,
and clothing of
certain unemployed persons at
Military posts
of the United
States .

Governaent with

f•.

l_
Hili Lary
Affairs

Co11zens

N' record

January
10, 1933
J
•a;,Jv

)Ill

·• 0 11! .

,o
o .t·◄

., . I
~

...

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APPEIIDIXB

Suppl-.ntary Table,

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100

SUPPLEMENTARY TABLIS

Uk[ I.

111-IUT llt:ll(F llt:&ISTIAIIOIIS ANO 1110---IHI.Y allWS, IOHl IMIITEO suns•
AllO 1[51STAATION'3 1•

u.,, ••
Y1H ••• .... , ..

U.a' faCNIO
lt611flat •o•S

STUii TOf&&.

.... so ■ ,
1111,..➔.o.,

15 SELECTED CITl(S

15 C1 flll Tot,1,1.

....~,...

••••1t1a,10■ 1

f,111111,. Y . . . . .

...

C. ■ 11111

. . . . . . . . ,10 ■ 1

C. ■ 11111

....,

U■ AffACIIIO

19"'

J••···,.

IOl,111

<• l

1,056

ftl ■ VAIT

106,606

'11,101

7,500

15,505

!cl
(cl

1,-, 111

.,,'!02

1,1'6

I•, 791

!cl

(cl

APIIL

206, '61

101,219

1,'197

17,167

(cl

256,0ll

10,,675

10, 51'

11.,1,

20,2'5

1,6'11

Ju••

261, ,.,.

u, ....

11,71,

,o, 1,,

'2,'!90

l,"7

Jou

...,.,,,

5u, ■ 1•

129,5"6

1!,979

22,109

2'!,1'2

'9,,!11

t ■o,

1'6

16,252

7',1'2

29,090

'·°"'
,.m

sa,, ......

,.,,,ne

1•2.•97

l•,HI

26,1!77

26,11911

2,122

0cfOHI

'45,052

1'1,006

1,,.,,

:M, 105

2',I&>

1,9111

Novt•HI

510,'55

161,261

1,,916·

OICt111D1I

,.,, u,

177,791

1,,,,.

"·*
"·*

25,•12

'·°"'

Ja ■ ua ■ ,

,., • 2)7

116, 21,

t•.61•

51,6'1

20,liU

F1a111au

2'6,976

175,1161

12,705

11(),2'9

19,001

1,669

lta ■ CN

,i,, u,

175.•71

1,.210

11(),U,

25,9'5

1,7'9

,i1,,21

1,,.061

1,. 515

"·'"

'"·*

I, 169

1951

,,....

FIOM fNI IIPOllfl Of' fNI 01v1110. M

a ....__,.._, , ..........
C

(cl
(cl

IIIAICN

....

(■)

-·
F'IMILY

FtllVAU,

21, ■,,

2,1'1

2,2'1

T ■ ,1 ■ 11t ■ f &ctu1T1II.

19,-.

llo Oafa .,.,..,1-Akl

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SUPPLBMBNTAIT TABLBS

TAil.( 2l.

101

AGE Of UIIATTACHlO TRHSIUTS IIEGISTEA(O FOR ll(Ll(F II II CITIES, IIAY 19,., THACIJGII APIIIL

..., .....

•• &low•

..........

A4..L PIIIOIIS

l>o.2'3
28.9

n.,90

100
1
1•

100

21.,

'IQ

I" ..

...

s.,,.n ... ocu,-

,.,."'''

Jwu

...

Non ... D1c1 ....

...

....

26.898 2'.160 21.•12

2'.1'2 :19.090
1'.2 26.2

19',

27.1

n,s,,

...

20.611
28.,

29.,

28.ij

28.6

J- ■ 11-

...

FtNu-

9.00'3
28.0

AP■ IL

WAICN

2'.9'11 2•.268
27 .8
28.0

,.rce11C ll1&rlb11U011
A1.1. ,111oa1
U1D1 ■ 16 HUI

16 10 19 ,. ...
20 TO 2tl HUI
2' lo 5'I YIUe
, , 10 1M HHI
. , TO"' l'IAII

18
10

ro 64

flHI AN OWII

•

LIii l ■A■ •' HICl ■ I.

TAil.( 21.

..........
.,..........
ALL Pl ■ ll)III

26
28

•I

1,8'7

1.6•1

100
HHI

" ro"" YIHI
. , tu , . HAIii

l'}

6a naaa
6' uata .... uwa•
"TO

Ukl 20.

100

TIUI

,.,.

,.w,,

I
I•

2.ooe
,.,2

2.211
,,.6

100

1'
2'
28

10
27

1,
27
29

27
27

17
10

18
10

17
8

•I

•

1.908

Jl,9

"·'

100

.,.,

.,.,s
ll<S'i

U.HI l~ HU•
liti TO 19 HHI
2f'I TO )41 TIHI

JAIIV-

Ftt••-

..... ,. ,,,....

1.~

2,117

,.261

I.~

1. 1,9

n., ,-.1

10'l

I
I•

•1

1•

OaCI . . . I

...

1'!('11

I•

1'I
1'

:>'I
II

"••

l0'l

100

c1111s• • OClOKa

I"'·

100

'
.,
'

HHI

6
19

"
TO Q yt1,a1
11, TO,,. UHi

,, ru 6- na•1
UHi ••• ov ..

•

• LIii T•A ■ ., PIICl ■ I •
D&•WII, JM.•ao■ Wlt,.LI (fu.),
A Jq CITIII . . . . :
P,111111■

.. , •••

,
I

"
"

I
I•

n•-

1')5'

J ...... ,

1121
•2.2

IOI!

••
"'

"u
''

2'I

,._,

1.769

"·' "·'

11.9

100

"' '

l!10

19,., lNIIWGH

......
,
,,.

•2.1

19n
IIIAec.•

.,.,...

l'rc••· •••., .......
IM

•

~ICllr

1,,.

•u•1•1•

Nova.-

,,.,' .,

1'11

......
,-a

ocro-

. . . . .

100

19''

,,1n

Ocroeu

..........

~'5

100

AGI 0, ll(S1D1•T - U I S l'llll(IIII 1(5151111(1 JOI llllll' ,.

,...........

100

12
2'

,n ••

II
,1
'
"' 11q l"I
••s ••• "•
' 1

, .. c..,....

100

l•

... ... ... ... ... ..,

S1•r111-

A. . IL

.....

100

lPIIIL

. . . . .

100

l'erc•11& Jucrah& IOA

11
26

..., ..... J,u.,
,,.., ,.. ,

16 ro 19 UHi
,0 to 7fl flHI

100
1
17

AG( Of Nt:A0S Of TRAIISIUT . .IIILY lillWPS ll((ilSTEIIEO FOR AELl[F IN II CITIES, IIAY

-lM WIOlfPA

U..H

•I

"
61)

YIHI

1~
2'
26

100
1
19

100
1
19
27

'"'"
•1.9

100

IOI'

100

29
29
12
2

'°'°

SI
27
10

"
12
2

Lua......_,,, ••-A1P01.11,

St11Tu.

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

102

TAII.E ,.

SEX HTIO OF TIIAIISIEl'IS IHISJtllD l'OR ••EF IN 13 CITIES, 11.IY

uo Six

11..

U.ITTAC.H PHIO•I
FtM11.Y UOUP Pl ■ IOIII

'lfl'I

NIAi 0 ■'-Y
N&AO MD OJNIII

(al

2,o■II

2,m 2,122
(al 6,'62

(al

- 19'J

0c,...

20,2,• n.'!90 2,, 1,2 29,090 26,198 2',160
1,6'1] l,917

Rll,.,,

_ -·-... .,._.. . ,..........
-·

.,.... .....
... ......

...

FtaULf Tn ■

1111, -

25, ■ ll

l,9Clll

2,061

'·*

6,,,,

21,UJ :11,61' 19,a 2,,,,,
2,1'1 2,151
6,'il 6,911

1,669

,,on

.,IIL

2■ ,:MI

,,,,.

I, 7'9 1,169
,,,18

"-n,•1 Ol ■lrlklloo

100.0 100.0
97.1 97.6
2.1
2.6

U.A1TACIIID Pl ■ IOIII

,.......

IIIM.c

F11111., 6■ NP PUIOIII

100.0
98.0
2.0

1:)().0 100,0

95.8
16. 2

e,. 2 e,.e

91, I

n.,

86.•

8'. 7

11.8

15.2

1,.,

16.,

i,.6

(al

<•l

(al

...,

l■.'

100.)

100.0

,1.,

,0, 7

11....
FIWM.I
01 ■1 ■ 1

Fl•ALI

( A)

100.0
98,0
2.0

100,0

N1&0 O•L t

Ntao a•o
11... ,

100.0 100.0 100.0
97. 1 98.0 97.8
2.0
2.,
2.2

ICXl,O 100.0 100.0

100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
98,2 97,7
97.9 98.1
1.9
2.1
1.9
2.'

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2 .6

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100.0 !100 .o 100.0 100 .o •100 .0
19 , l 16 . 7 21.,
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9 .9
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100.0

Y.,,o

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99. 7
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(A) Pt•CUIU.Gl NOT COWl'Ufl!O IECAUSt: OF S .. ALL NUMllU IUOl.VtD .

USUAi. OCCUl'AII0NS Of TRANS l [NTS REGISTERlD FOIi RELIEF IN ll CITIES, CLASSIFIED
AND BY AGE GROUl'S, APIIIL 19,,

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WALf
USUAL Occu,n IO ■ S

.,,
AC.[S

19 . 372

UUTTACNfO l'( ■ SON!I
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l,•60

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12'3
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0965
201

61!5()
570

3876
l71

.,
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308

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ALL
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301
118

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2

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u••s
7•
11

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77
•2

TtUS

:211

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U11UUC"tO l'taso11111

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SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES

UAT191 Of LAST AT UIIUM. OCCIIPATICJI llFOll IIIIIIIATICJI, 1£P111Tt0 II' TRAIISIE•TS
1£111Sll1£D FOi •Lllf II l5 CITIU, , i _ _ . , TIIIOlill APIIIL 19"

TAIU 21

IIN••Wn■....._

115

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1,..,

l,'41

1,'82

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1',127

19,681

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19
27

11
27

11
211
29

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211
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21
21
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TAIU 22.

IUIEF II 15 CITIES, FUIIUAIIT TIIIIWGII APIIIL

......,

Au.--·
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THE TRANSl8NT ONKMPLOTID

116

CASUAL. AND IIOO-C&SUII. OCOJP&TIDl'S ~ UN&TUO<[D TRANSIENTS R[GISTElllD FOIi

HIil[ 2.5,\.

CITl(S, OCTOll[R

195&, THROUGlt APRIL

19,-

19,,

......

Ca1uu a ■ o lioa-CAMA&.

Occu,u10111

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19,5

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100
5
9'I
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o.,
T■o

11,1 •• , . ,

19,5'9

19,673

100

91
1

78'6

7•06
5961

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100
6

e,9,

•12,

100

5
9'

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15,681

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90(J8
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•2118

••88
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6'!'17
5051

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5096

36,0

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100

•5

NO ■ -CASWo\L

100
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100

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100

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•

Cu-.t•L

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100

100
19

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100

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•

100

"'
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100
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CASUAL.

ANO --.CASUAL OCCUPATIOOS Of H[ADS Of TRANSIENT FAIIILY GROUPS OEGISTERED f(JI
R!~IH IN 13 CITIES OCTOIIER, 193", T'"10UGlt APRIL 1?3'

19,-

195,

*•~-

......
---

1,36

1'78

100

911

77i
• 37
3•1

7'JC
!91
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7:16

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6U ?

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100
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100

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100
58

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100
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SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES

UIII.E :IU.

117

1105011 FOR IIEGINNING IIIGIIATION FOIi l.lllTUCHEO TRANSIENTS REGISTERED FOR RELIEF
IN 1' CITIES, OCT08ER 195•, THlllUGH oPRII 195,

19,.

,o.

RU.ION

195'

8t11 ■-1••

W11a&T10II

Ull&TTACNII HA■ lll■ TI

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lloWIMHI

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2', lr,o

2, •• 12

21,85'

20,615

19,008

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25,9'5 20, :168

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100

lllO

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71
2
7
2

72
2
7
2

70
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5

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2
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2

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IIUSOII FOR BEGINNING IIIGIIATION FOR HEADS OF TRANSIENT FllllLY GROUPS REGISTERED
FOIi RELIEF IN 15 CITIES, OC108EII 195", IHROUQI WRIL 195,

195,

19'"
Ruso ■ ,01 8111 ■ ••••
WIIHTIQN
JA ■ IIA ■ Y

F111,uu

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2,261

1,669

l, 1,9

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howt .. lU

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

118

RATE OF AllOITI-ON, ANO OORATIOII ~ 1116RATIOII OF TAMISIEN'IS IIUISTEAlD FOIi AlLIEF 11 1'

TAIILE 2'.

19,., THll>UGH Al'llll

CITIES, OCTOBER

19'5

19,,

19,.
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2,064

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19,008
1,1169

2'",953
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20,2118
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1,

17
11

n
n

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17
13

FAMILY c.1our•

Uu,TTACM(O PlllO■ S 11;11u110
& ■ ou,,

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f'IIIIIClllt•

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llO

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7

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T"IS RAU, l'[l!,ONS lllfiolST!IUIG. ,ott A(Lll' ■ lfNIN IN( lltONTN CM' IIIC.lll ■ l ■ f; •161:AflOII
r.,1 IIOPUL..UID ■ OUlll•u T"l •011r"; ,UD HI(
Of TIIIN CA&l,i 10
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txll•lllllotU A$ PUICl•T, II TNI ..... o, AeOITIO■•

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TA8LE 26

19J)
U.S.

cus1a 1

u•• TIO

··••o

"'°"'"·

ORIGIN OF INTEIISUTE TRANSIENTS UNDER CARE ON OIi( DAY AT THAlE -TH INTEIIVM.S,
stPTE118ER J), 193'1, TO JUNE ,0, 193,, TOTAL UIIITED STATES'

Gto~•APNIC D1v1StON!

TOTAL

II UHS HO 0'111

TNI

ou,ruuu,oa

•

100

MQNTNI 01 LIii

Af,C(lfl.lNAll.l

fMIILY POUf'S

rio

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ti 1'lAII &NO OV'll
JloT

rio
61

1•
6

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122, 11,.0116

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:io 11•, 31
193'1
193'1

31
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193'1

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21,186

21.90•

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21,919

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16.S
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18.0

100.0
2.8
10.•
l•. 7
17.1

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1D•,999 127,901 n,. 112 102. 211

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12.9
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6.'

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9.1
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fROllil T1U QUARTI.\.T •tllOUI Of TNt: Dl'IIIION

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SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES

TAIU 21A.

LAU SUTI

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011111 0, llltllSU\'I TIIAIISIUTS UIIOU CAIi( ON ON£ DAY AT TNII([ IIOIITM INTUYlLS,
"'Ti- ■ ,0, 19,-, TO .Dll ,0. 19,,, TOTAL UIII T[O STATES

Sutu

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11 ■

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SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES

TAIU 28.

121

011611, 11'1' IURII. MIO URIAN A11£AS, Of UIUTTACMED ANO FAIIILY GAOUP TRANSIENTS
ll(GISTEREO FOi RELIEF II 13 CITIES, NOVEIIB[R 193'1, THl!WGlt APRIL 193'

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APPENDIX C

Cue History Abatracl•

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CASE HISTORY ABSTRACTS
This appendix presents reasons for beginning ■igratioa in
more detail than is possible in tabular for■ . The details were
abstracted from selected case histories of unattached persons
and heads of family groups registered for relief at transient
bureaus. The case histories selected for abstract were chosen
to illustrate the several reasons for migration lis-ted ill. tables
Tables 2Lla and 2Llb, Appendix B.
Seeking Work
Steve P- , age thirty-eight, was born in rural
West Virginia. He was taken out of school at the age of fourteen and put to w0rk in a coal mine. He disliked the unpleasant and difficult work in the mines, but had neither the money
to leave nor the training to change employment.
By 1117 he
quit the mines to serve in the Amy, and extended his stay by
reenlisting at the temination of the War.
In 1922 he returned to West Virginia, married, and resumed
work in the coal mines. He continued this employment for ten
years; but, because of the frequent shut-down of the mines, he
was unable to provide his family with anything but the barest
necessities of life.
After months of unemployment in 1'132 and 1933, Mr. P- obtained for the family a small relief allowance which, because
of its regularity, enabled them to live more comfortably than
they had in years.
With his family provided for, Mr. P- set out in search of
work. His only concern was that the work be in some industry
other than mining, and that he could move his family out of
West Virginia.
At the time he was registered at the Denver
Colorado transient bureau, Mr. P- had traveled by freight over
the entire Southwest and Pacific Coast. During his travels he
had obtained short-time w0rk as harvest hand, unskilled laborer
on construction work, and as a fish cannery worker. None of
these jobs lasted more than a month.
Mr. P- asked to be allowed to remain in the Denver transient
bureau until he had explored the employment possibilities of
that area.
Case No. 2. Joseph M- , age forty-one, had ~rked for twenty years as a repairman in a Wisconsin railroad shop. In 1929
he had saved enough money to purchase a fann in Ashland County,
Wisconsin, to which he moved his wife and nine children. Unable to meet the mortgage payments, the M's lost the fam and
rented a small tract of land, which they operated as a truck
garden. This project failed because of the small money return
for their produce; and in 193Ll the family possessions were reduced to farm tools and an old truck.
A friend of Mrs. M- ia the State of Washington wrote that
conditions were much better on the Pacific Coast, and encouraged
Case No. 1.

122

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123

CASE HISTORY ABSTRACTS

the f•ily to co■ e there. Hr. H- ■ ade a trip to Washington by
and started negotiations to take over some fann land.
Be then returned for family and tools. The trip to Washin~ton
was made by truck. At Seattle the family was forced to apply
for aid fro111 the transient bureau until they could take possession of the fann land.
The Seattle transient bureau agreed to take care of the family until tbe fann could be occupied.
The prospects of the
f•ily's becoming self-supporting were considered good, since
Hr. H- believed he could cut and sell enough timber from the
fara land to finance their first year's operations.
The registration of the family group at the Seattle transient
bureau was the 1irst time they had applied for reliei.
Case Wo. 3. Ralph D- , age twenty, was one of five children
of an Arkansas share-chopper.
His schooling had not extended
beyond the third year of grade school, largely because of the
necessity of helping· with the faf"III work.
The family was extremely poor, ud as long as Ralph could remember had been in
debt to the owners of the land or to the general store from
wllich they obtained their supplies.
Wbeaever possible, the boy "hired out" on one of the neighboring farms to supplement the family earnings. In 1932 the Dfamily aot only made no money but were refused further credit
at the store and threatened with eviction.
At this point, Ralph set out to find work. in some other
faraiar area in the hope that be could earn enough to send
money to bis family.
He bad been away from home for two years when he was registered for relief at the Dallas Texas trusient bureau. During
bis wanderings he bad secured enough work to support himself
aost of the time, but bad been unable to send any money home.
He asked the Dallas trusient bureau to make inquiry about
bis family, from whom be bad received no word during his wandering.
The transient bureau arranged for his stay in the
transient bureau shelter until -..ord was received from Arkansas.
Case No. 4. William S- , age fifty-nine, and bis wife, age
fifty, bad lived many years in a small town in Illinois where
Hr. S- was employed as a baker. His earnings had been sufficient to allow saving part of bis wages each week for a number
of years; and when, in 1931, he lost his job, Mr . and "!rs. Swere not particularly concerned for the immediate future.
However, in 1932, the bank in which their savings were deposited was closed, and in the subsequent liquidation, Mr. Sreceived only a small part of his savings.
When this money
was ione and it was apparent that no work was to be had in the
town in which they had lived most of their lives, the S- fam-

truck.,

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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOYED

ily decided to 110 to Kansas City, Missouri, where Mr. S- thought
he might find work at his trade.
The S- family lived in Kansas City for nearly three years
without applying for relief. When they were finally reduced
to destitution and made application, they were unable to obtain relief as residents of Kansas City because they had maintained their legal settlement in the Illinois community. As a
result they were referred to the Kansas City transient bureau.
The transient bureau officialsfeltthat Mr.S-was unemployable because of his age and his health, which had been impaired
by the years of worry and privation. Therefore, the transient
bureau was planning to return the family to Illinois, w~·ere
they had legal ~ettlement.
Case No. 5. Cl1arley C- , age sixty-one, an America'l-born
Chinese, had been employed most of his life asawaiter in
Chinese restaurants in Denver, Colorado. lie had held his last
job, which was terminated by the closing ~f the restaurant, for
fifteen years.
Unable to find further employment in Denver, Hr. C- , with
his 31-year-old wife and five children, ranping in age from 4
to 12 years, returned to San Francisco, his birthplace, where
he had heard employment conditions were better.
After an unsuccessful search for work in San Francisco,
Mr. C- , his funds exhausted, applied for relief at the transient bureau. lie was determined to remain in San Francisco,
where the family might live in the Chinese colony and the children attend school.
The family had been at the San Francisco transient bureau
six months at the time this abstract was made. This was their
first time on relief.

Promised Job
Case No. 6. James M-, age twenty-two, lived with his parents in St. Louis, Missouri. Early in 1935 he lost his job in
a pharmacy and was unable to find emplo1111ent of any kind. llis
brother was a chain-store manager in San Francisco, and wrote
that he could obtain a job for James in one of tl1e company's
stores. James M- made the trip to San Francisco by hitch-hiking
and by freight train. When he arrived there, the promised
job could not be obtained.
lie remained at the horr1e of his
brother until a quarrel caused him to leave.
He decided to go to Los Angeles before return i nr, home,
principally to see the southern part of the State. He had been
at the Los Angeles transient bureau a week when this abstract
was made. James M- planned to leave in a few days and return
to St. Louis over the southern route, by freight train.

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Case No. 7.
Edward P- , age thirty-four, had lived most of
his life in Brooklyn, New York, where he followed his trade of
furniture upholsterer. His last employment at this i«>rk lasted
for five years, and terminated in the summer of 193'-L
Mr. P- remained in Brooklyn for several months after the
loss of his job, trying to find work at his trade, but without
success. Meanwhile, friends in California had written him that
the furniture business was "looking up" in Los Angeles, and
that an expert upholsterer could readily obtain employment.
While Hr. P- was considering a move to Los Angeles, he recei ved a letter from his former employer, who had gone to Los
Angeles and was working as a foreman in an upholstering plant,
promising him a job if he would come to Los Angeles. Hr. Pdecided to go, particularly because his wife was in poor health
and had been advised that the California climate 1i«>uld be beneficial.
The P- family used their last resources in migratinR to Los
Angeles.
When they arrived there, they found conditions in
the upholstering trade had changed and that the promise of a
job could not be fulfilled. They re~istered for relief at the
Los Angeles transient bureau and requested transportation back
to Brooklyn.
No final disposition had been made of this case at the time
this abstract was made.

Adventure
case No. R. Charles H- , age twenty-four, from New England,
was graduated from a small college in the sprint,: of 1931. He
obtained a position in the accounting department of a large
New York corporation at twenty-four dollars a week. In D32
he was included in a wholesale lay-off of clerks, and remained
in New York looking for work until his small savings were exhausted.
He returned to his parents; but after a few months
became so restless at the enforced dependency that he borrowed
enough money from his father to return to New York to look for
wor-k.
When he found it impossible to obtc1in any form of employment, nis pride would not let l,im return to his parents
and dependency a second time.
Convinced that New York City held no possibility of employment for him, Charles H- used his remainin~ funds to get to
Chicago, where the Century of Progress exercised a double attraction-the widely publicized exhibits, and tne possibility
of obtaining employment where so much was happening.
When he arrived in Chicago, he found that he was one of
thousands wlio had come for much tile same reason. Unable to
find loOrk, and quickly reduced to destitution, he was about to

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ask that word be sent to his parents when he maoe the acquainance of a boy who had been on the road for about six months,
and who offered to take Charles H- with him on a trip to California.
In the next eighteen months Charles H- traveled back and
forth across the western and southwestern States, his route
determined by curiosity, rumors, and chance companions. Occasionally he found work for short periods of time, but his
clothes became so worn that he was refused consideration on
sight. Gradually he came to depend upon transient centers and
camps for food, shelter, and clothes.
He traveled under an
assumed name, gave a fictitious home address, and never stayed
long enough in any place to allow the Transient Relief officials
to investigate his story.
His reason for this was that he
feared he might be identified, and that his parents would be
notified.
In the spring of 1935 he obtained permanent employment
through one of the transient bureaus; and, after working about
six months, notified his parents of his whereabouts and apparently resumed a stable way of living.

111 Health
Case No. 9.
Albert W- , age twenty-five, had worked most
of his life in the lead and zinc mines of Oklahoma. Hr. W- ,
his wife, age twenty-one, and their four children, ranging in
age from two to six years, lived with Hr. wr s fat her, who owned
a home.
When employment in the mines became uncertain as a
result of decreased mining activity and labor troubles, the
family did not find it necessary to apply for relief. The
father suffered from lung trouble, and as his health grew worse,
an immediate removel to Arizona was advised, necessitating the
sale of the home.
Mr. W- decided that the whole family would
go; and in 1933, the-journey was made in an old automobile
bought with part of the money realized in the sale of the
house.
In Arizona, the father purchased a horse and wagon, which
enabled Mr. W- to set up a small hauling and junk business, and
support t~e family until bis father's death.
Their reserve
funds were exhausted by medical and funeral expenses; and business conditions were so bad that Mr. W- applied for relief,
receiving $3.!50 a week.
Hr. W- was unwilling to return to
Oklahoma, and hoped the transient bureau would continue to
help him until business picked up.
The transient bureau bad
been carrying the case for nearly a year at the time of this
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CASE HISTORY ABSTRACTS

Migratory Occupation
Case No. 10.
Stanley McK- , age twenty-seven, of Texas,
was left an orphan at the age of four, and placed in a Masonic
He stayed at the home until be was seventeen years of
home,
age, which was the age limit for inmates.
During bis stay in
the home he had attended school, and had completed the first
year of high school.
His first employment after leaving the
home was with an ice manufacturer and this employment lasted
seven months.
He then became apprenticed to a boiler maker
for a period of two years.
With the advent of the depression, Mr. McK- was laid off;
and the only ...ork he could find was with a carnival troupe that
toured the Mississippi Valley States.
For several years Mr. McK- worked each spring and summer
with one or another carnival company, and came to depend on
this type of employment. The wages were not large; but be felt
assured of ...ork for the duration of the carnival season.
During the winter of D3q Hr. McK' s savings were insufficient to support him until the carnival started the 1J35 season, and he applied for assistance at the Memphis transient
bureau. Through the interest of the bureau officials, Hr. McKattended a 'trade school during the winter and showed considerable aptitude at mechanical trades. At the time this abstract
was made the transient bureau was endeavoring to obtain permanent emplo)'lllent for Hr. McK- , ~ho, however, thought he ~ould
Join a carnival troupe again as :;oon as the season openeu.
Case No. 11.
tlrs. Bertha W- , age forty, a widow, was the
head of a family group consisting of four young children, an
aged mother, and herself. The family group was originally from
Newark, Arkansas, where the husband ldeceasedl had been a sharecropper, but for the last five years had moved around the country working at the harvesting of various specialty crops. Mr.
and Mrs. W-, their eldest daughter, age thirteen, and Mrs. W's
mother had all 110rked at harvesting cotton, grain, and fruit.
The direction of the family's many migrations throughout the
West and Southwest was largely determined by the maturing of
crops.
They worked on truck farms in California and Ariwna,
picked fruit, berries, and cotton in Arkansas and Texas, and
worked in the potato fields of Missouri. The family earned
enough during the harvest periods to carry them through the offseasons.
After the death of Mr. W- , the family was unable to follow
the customary itinerary, and their earnings dropped below what
was needed for subsistence. As a result, they applied for relief at the Phoenix, Arizona, transient bureau, where ·they had
been for a.bout two rnonths at the time this abstract was made.
Case No. 12. Clyde P-, age twenty-two, left home when he
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THE TRANSIENT UNEMPLOTBD

was 16, to go to sea.
He was tired of school and life in.his
Oklahoma farm home.
He made his wa, by freight train to Port
Arthur, Texas, where he "signed on" as a Mess boy 011 a coastwise steamer.
For several years he had fairly steady employment. He shipped as an ordinary seaman until 1933, when he attained the
rating of able-bodied seaman. His earnings were sufficient to
carry him through occasional periods of unemployment.
He usually 111ade his headquarters in New York City, where be lived
at the Seamen's Church Institute.
In April, 19,., Clyde P- was in Boston without a job.
It
bad become almost impossible to ship out of New York City because of the depressed condition of the shipping industry; and
he had moved from port to port in the hope of finding work. A
Boston relief agency referred him to the transient bureau, where
he had been for a month at the time this abstract was ■ade.
Clyde P- bad no idea of giving up his regular occupation at
sea, and looked for work each day along the Boston water front.
He thought that if work could not be found within a short ti■e,
he would ride the freight trains to Oklahoma and visit bis parents before returning to New York City or Baltimore to resume
his search for work.
Case No. 13. Joseph K- , age thirty-eight, had been a sailor for nearly twenty years when, in 1931, he ■arried and quit
the sea for a Job in a shoe factory in New England.
He soon
tired of this work; and in 1932 obtained employment with a
shipping concern engaged in coastwise traffic. This emplopent
continued until June, 1935, when Mr. K- was laid off.
With a wife and two children to support, Mr. K- had been
unable to accumulate any reserve funds. For a month the family
lived on Hrs. K's earnings as a part-time domestic servant.
Mr. K- heard that there was a shortage of seamen in Boston;
and he and his family "hitch-hiked" their way there, but Mr. Kcould not obtain employment.
The family applied for relief at the Boston transient bureau,
which agreed to care for the family while Hr. K- continued to
look for work.

Domestic Difficulties
Case No. 1,. James N- , age twenty-seven, anative of Rhode
Island, attended the Agricultural College of his native State,
and became a trained nurseryman.
After leaving college be
worked as a tree surgeon in different parts of the country,
served a three-year enlistment in the Army, and in 1931 established a plant and tree nursery in Maine on money borrowed
from bis mother. Mr. N- married, and was successful in a 1110dest way with his business until 19,., when his wife divorced
him.
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Depressed and restless, Mr. N- sold his nursery and started
for California with the idea of starting a tree nursery there.
His funds were insufficient for this purpose, and he drifted
about the country working as a tree surgeon when work could be
found. Occasionally he stopped at transient bureaus over night,
but preferred to stop at a far:n house and work for his food
and lodging. In April, 1935, he stayed a few days at the Memphis transient bureau, where this abstract was made.
At that
time Mr. N- was en route to California, hoping to obtain backing for a tree nursery.
Case No. 15. Wallace C- , age thirty-two, and his wife, age
twenty-seven, were life-long residents of Illinois. They were
married in 1928, and Mr. C- rented a farm from his mother-ialaw, which he operated until the summer of 193q_
A series of poor crops and the total destruction of one by
fire were given by Mr. C- as the reasons for deserting his
wife and two children in 193q.
Later his wife and children followed him, and a reconciliation was effected. But the mother-in-law refused to let the
family return to the farm as long as the husband was part of
the family group.
Mr. C- took his family with him to Nebraska, where he had
relatives, hoping to find work in the grain fields.
When no work was to be had, the family went to Florida for
the winter, although they had no clear idea as to what they
wouid do there.
They stopped at transient bureaus along the
way, and had been receiving relief from a Florida transient
bureau for nearly a year when the abstract was made.
The bureau planned to place Mr. C- on a Public Works Administration project.
Case No. 16. Billy J- , who was only fifteen years of age,
had left his father's farm in northern Oregon after a quarrel
that climaxed a long period of antagonism between him and his
step-mother. After wandering throughout Oregon and California,
Billy applied for aid at the Los Angeles transient bureau.
He had been away from home only a little over a month and
boasted of riding freight trains, and living in hobo "jungles"
and the transient bureaus. He had enjoyed his short period on
the road, and seemed to think transiency was much to be preferred to his life at home. He steadfastly refused to be returned
home, stating that it would do no good, and that he would leave
again at the first opportunity.
Through relief workers in Oregon, the Los Angeles bureau got
in touch with Billy's father, who offered to pay the cost of
returning his son. The father stated that Billy prese:ited no
problem except in his defiance of his step-mother.
Arrangemeats were made with an aunt to take Billy into her home for a
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time, an arrangement that overcame the boy's objection to being sent home.
At the time this abstract was made, the Los Angeles transient bureau was arranging tor Billy's transportation to the
home of the aunt.

Inadequate Relief
Case No. t'l. John B- , age twenty-one, of Georgia, was re- ·
!erred to the Miami transient bureau by the police station where
he applied !or food and shelter.
He had come to Miami in the
hope of obtaining employment during the winter in one of the
winter resort hotels.
Mr. B- had left his father's farm in Georgia because "there
was no future in farming", and had worked for a time as a machine tender in a cotton mill, and as a bell-boy in a small
hotel.
In the fall of 193q he was out of work and unable to
pay his room rent.
He wrote his father asking permission to
return to the farm but was told not to come.
Hr. B- then applied for local relief, hoping to be assigned to a work relief
project.
He claims that he was refused relief because he was
"single and could look out tor himself."
At this point he_ decided to go to Florida where he ·heard
the large resort hotels were in need of personnel.
After an
unsuccessful search for work in Palm Beach and Miami, he applied for assistance at the Miami police station, apparently
not knowing of the transient relief bureaus.
No disposition had been made o! his case at the time this
abstract was made.
Case No. 19.
Jackson S- , age forty-seven, a steam fitter
by trade, lived with his wife and three children in Birmingham,
Alabama, from 1926 until 1935. He had fairly steady employment
with one of the Birmingham steel mills until the spring of 1935,
when the company shut down three of its five furnaces. Hr. Swas put on part-time employment, averaging less than five dollars a week in wages.
The family had no other source of income, and applied to the E.R.A. for assistance, Hr. S- claimed
he was refused relief because he had some income.
When the
part-time employment stopped he reapplied for relief, and
claims he was allotted three dollars weekly.
After a vain attempt to supplement this inadequate income,
the head of the family decided that they had nothing to lose
by going on the road. The family hitch-hiked to Augusta, Georgia, where Hr. S- had heard that he might find employment in
the cotton mills. Unable to find -work there, they remained at
the transient bureau until it closed.
They started then for
Memphis, Tennessee, but could give no particular reason tor
selecting that destination.
En route, the head of the faailJ
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obtained two weeks' work in a lumber camp.
When they arrived at Memphis, they registered at the transient bureau, where they were at the time this abstract was
made.

Visits
Case No. 19. Robert S- , age twenty, was born in the State
of Idaho. His mother died when he was a boy, and he was cared
for by his father, who was an itinerant carpenter. At the age
of fourteen he left his father, hitch-hiked to Philadelphia,
where he supported himself by a series of employments that included selling newspapers, working in a printing shop, delivering telegrams, and working as a stock clerk in a store. During
this period he continued his schooling and obtained a high
school diploma, of which he was very proud.
In 1931' he went to Seattle, Washington, in search of an uncle
who had once offered him a home.
Unable to locate the uncle,
he returned to the East seeking work, traveling by freight
train, and stopping at transient bureaus and Salvation Army
shelters. When he reached Philadelphia he could find no work,
and continued his wanderings to Boston, where he was staying
at the transient bureau when this abstract was made.
Case No. 20.
Mrs. Vera J- , age twenty-three, colored, of
Texas, with a son, age four, and a daughter, age two, registered
for relief at the Chicago transient bureau.
Mrs. J- had been
separated for more than a year from her husband who, after
separation, gave up his job in Houston, Texas, to avoid contributing to the support of his family.
Mrs. J- was employed in Houston, and earned enough to support herself and children. She received word from Chicago that
her mother was critically ill, and wanted to see her. Mrs. Jspent what money she had saved for train !are for herself and
children to Chicago.
When she arrived there, she found that
her mother had died. Without funds or friends, Mrs. J- had to
apply to the Chicago transient bureau for aid.
The transient
bureau wanted to return the family to Houston, but Mrs. Jwould not agree, because she felt that a colored person in her
position would have a better opportunity to reestablish herself in a Northern city.
The transient bureau agreed to care
for the family for a few weeks in order to give Mrs. J- an
opportunity to look for employment.
No disposition of this case had been made at the time of
abstract.
Personal Business
Case No. 21.
Mrs. Martha F-, age forty-six, had operated
a beauty parlor in Detroit, Michigan, for a number of years
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following a divorce from her husba.nd.
Upon tbe death of her
father in Texas, she sold the shop &11.d weat to liTe in the
home left by her father. During the depression sbe was unable
to keep up the mortgage on the home, and sold her interest in
the property. With the proceeds she went to Hiaai, Florida, to
open a beauty parlor.
Her funds were insufficient for this purpose, and for a time
she supported herself by making and marketing a face lotion.
When the venture failed she was completely out of funds and
was referred to the Miami transient bureau as a non-resident.
The bureau had considerable difficulty with Mrs. F- , who objected to being placed in a women's shelter.
Meanwb ile the
bureau verified Hrs. F's claim to legal settlement, and planned
to send her there. Hrs. F- refused to go; and the bureau discontinued relief.
Case No. 22. Geor!!e L- , age seventy, Swedish-born naturalized citizen, had spent most of his active years in engineering
and construction work. In 1926 he and his wife opened a tourist
home and rooming house in Butte, Montana., which operated until
1929, when declining business forced them to close the house.
Hr. L- had a piece of property near the area taken over as the
Glacier National Park. The establishment of the Park adversely
affected the value o! his land, and he was promised compensation
!or his loss.
Be and his wife, age seventy-one, remained in
Butte awaiting payment tor his property until their resources
were exhausted.
They then set out for Washington, O. C., in
the hope of obtaining something oo their alleged claim against
the Government.
Arrived in Washington, they applied for relief at the transient bureau.
Their case history did not show any record of transient or
resident relief prior to their stay at the Washington transient
bureau.
No disposition had been made of their case at the time this
abstract was made.

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