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* ^ - terr JUN 8 1936
•WJUMtfrt* Northwestern
LVnti University
Library 6388
FEDERAL EMERGENCY RELIEF ADMINISTRATION
Harry L. Hopkins, Administrator
DIVISION OF RESEARCH, STATISTICS AND FINANCE RESEARCH SECTION
rnr "Howard B. Myers
.Sjrrinetou toll
LEGAL SETTLEMENT STATUS AND RESIDENCE HISTORY OF TRANSIENTS
if *
»
August 30, 1935
TR-9
Purpose
6388
This study was designed to disclose the present legal settlement or resi¬
dence status, of unattached transients and heads of transient family
groups registered for relief. Incidental to this purpose, information
was secured concerning the residence history and relative mobility of
transients before they became a part of the transient relief population.
Procedure
Special questionnaires were filled for a sample of approximately ono
hundred interstate transients in each of thirty-six cities in twenty-
seven States (see list of cities in Appendix) during the period June 17
tc 22, 1935, The cities were chosen to provide as wide a geographical
distribution as possible within the time limits imposed by the study;
and these cities were also chosen with regard to a proper distribution
by size of city. The sampling procedure within each city was determined
by the known churacteristies of the transient population, and in so far
as possible, the sample was chosen to provide a fair representation of
unattached and family group transients, by sox and age groups. Further,
in order to approach more nearly to a representative sample, about one-
half of the cases were selected from those already under care, and the
balance from <.rurrent registrations.
The completed schedules were forwarded -to Washington, where they were
carefully edited prior to tabulating the results. The legal settlement
status of each individual was determined from his residence history dur¬
ing the period January 1929 to June 1935 in conjunction with the legal
settlement, or residence, requirements of the several States!/, Legal
settlement was considered verifiable when supporting evidence was given
such as stable employment, participation in civic activities, membership
in fraternal or religious organizations, or the ownership or lease of
real property information which warranted the conclusion that the per¬
son's claim to settlement, or residence, could probably be substantiated
because of the public or semi-public nature of this information. Legal
settlement was considered non-verifiable when the individual reported
that he had lived in a specific community the required time, but could
not give readily verifiable evidence of his residence, or when the resi¬
dence history obviously indicated that the person was a chronic migrant.
It is doubtful whether those classified as having non-verifiable legal
settlement could establish a claim under the state settlement statutes.
In each case proper account was taken of the various provisions for los¬
ing settlement once gained, as well as of the varying provisions for
gaining settlement, so that the final judgment was as reliable as pos¬
sible, short of a complete verification of each record. In some instances
such an investigation had already been made, thereby increasing the re¬
liability of the returns,
1/See Research Bulletins L.R.B. A—1 to L.R.B. A—12, Division of Research,
Statistics and Finance, Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
Prepared by John N. Webb
under the supervision of
Henry B. Arthur,
Coordinator of Urban Research
6388
SUMMARY
Returns from-a sample of the tran¬
sient relief population in 36 cities
show that 56 percent of the unat¬
tached transients and 49 percent of
the heads of transient family groups
had legal settlement, or residence,
in a specific community, and that in
all probability their settlement
could be verified. The unattached
transients were, on the whole, young¬
er than the heads of family grotips;
and it was the younger transients
particularly the minors—-who most
frequently had verifiable legal set¬
tlement; that is, the proportions
with legal settlement were higher
among the younger, than among the
older, -age groups. Among the heads
of family group transients there was
no significant relationship between
age and the proportion with legal
settlement.
Any attei.pt to return transients
to the communities from which they
came must first overcome the diffi¬
culty that about half of them no
longer have a legal residence where
they might be eligible for relief;
and that of those who do have a le¬
gal residence, a_considerable pro¬
portion have no homes to which they
could be returned. Only 56 percent
of the unattached, and 25 percent of
the family group transients with ver¬
ifiable legal settlement, also had a
home in the community of settlement.
was found that a majority of both
the unattached and family group tran¬
sients included in the study had
changed their community of residence
only once, or not at all; and that
the continuity of their residence
had been unbroken by periods of mi¬
gration, Moreover, the greater part
of them had been on the road less
than eighteen months, while the per¬
iod examined was six years and six
months.
There remains, however, a minor¬
ity of both unattached a.nd family
group transients, whose residence
histories prior to migration show
more frequent changes in the local¬
ity of residence, and one or more
periods between these changes when
there was no place of residence 2/* It
was found that members of this small¬
er and less stable part of the tran¬
sient rolief population had been on
the road longer than had those in¬
cluded in the larger and more stable
part, Furthermore, 11 percent of the
unattached and 6 percent of tho fam¬
ily group transients included in the
minority group had no place of resi¬
dence during the entire period.be¬
ginning January 1, 1923. These find¬
ings seen to justify the conclusion
that instability is not a character¬
istic of the entire transient relief
population, but only of a minority
group within that population.
Although the transient relief pop¬
ulation includes a large proportion
of individuals and family grcxps who
have neither legal settlement nor a
home, the greater part of both the
unattached and the family group tran¬
sients had been relatively stable
members of the general population
before migration. This fact was de¬
termined from an examination of the
residence histories of transients
for the period January 1, 1929 until
the time .they began migration. It
Daba from the total registration
of transients in 13 cities^/during
June 1S35 show that the younger unat¬
tached transients had left home more
2/ Establishment of a residence ac¬
cording to the definition used in
this study required residence for at
least one continuous month in a spe¬
cific place, or locality, within,a
state in which the person had stayed
for at least six continuous months,
3/ Soe footnote 5/, p.5.
-ii~
6388
recently than had the older individ¬
uals. For instance, it was found
that of the June registrants, 86 per¬
cent of the unattached transients
under 16 years of.age, and 75 percent
of those 16 thru 24 years, started
migration during 1935, in contrast
with 50 percent of those 45 thru 64
years of age, and with 65 percent of
all unrttaciied registrants. Among
the heads of family groups regis¬
tered during June, the relationship
between age and the time of starting
migration was less marked: 60 per¬
cent of the family heads 16 thru 24
years of age started migration dur¬
ing 1935, in comparison with 55 per¬
cent of those 45 thru 64 years, But
it was found that the older family
heads had been on the road a shorter
period of time than the older unat¬
tached transients. Evidently, age is
a more important factor in the tran¬
siency of unattached persons than in
that of family groups.
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6383
LEGAL SETTLEMENT STATUS AND RESIDENCE HISTORY OF TRANSIENTS
Legal Settlement Status. The re¬
turns from this study show that 56
percent of the unattached transients
and 49 percent of the heads of tran¬
sient family groups had legal set¬
tlement in a specific community, and
that their settlement could, in all
probability, be verified. (See Table
A.)
Table A. Legal Settlement Status
Unatt- ched Heads of
transients family
groups
Settlement
status
All persons * 3512
Percent Distribution
All persons.
Settlement, spe¬
cific community:
Verifiable
Non-verifiable....
100
56
7
No settlement.....
Not ascertainable.
374
100
49
10
40
1
In addition, 7 percent of the unat¬
tached transients and 10 percent of
the family group heads reported that
they had lived the required time
within a specific community to estab¬
lish legal settlement there, but
could not provide readily verifiable
evidence of their residence. Under
the general procedure for determin¬
ing local responsibility for relief,
it is doubtful whether their claims
could be established.
Age and Legal Settlement. Among
the unattached transients there was
a significant but inverse relation¬
ship between age and the fact of ver¬
ifiable legal settlement. The pro¬
portion with verifiable legal set¬
tlement was larger among the young¬
er, and smaller among the older, age
groups. (See Table 1, Appendix.) The
highest proportion of transients
with verifiable settlement was found
among the unattached minors* while
the study included only eight unat¬
tached transients under 16 years of
age, all of them had verifiable set¬
tlement; of those 16 thru 20 years
of age, 89 percent had verifiable
settlement. Thereafter, the propor¬
tions with verifiable settlement de¬
clined to 64 percent for the age
group 21 thru 24 years, 53 percent
for those 25 thru 34 years of a0'e»
46 percent for those 35 thru 44 years
of age, and 39 percent for those 40
years of age or older.
The legal settlement of minors,
who comprised about 14- percent of
the unattached transients studied,
was determined on the basis of both
their own residence history and. thai
of their parents or legal guardians.
This criterion of residence we.s used
because in most States the settle¬
ment of a minor follows that of his
parents or legal guardian. And since
the settlement of a minor whose par¬
ents or guardian have settlement is
not affected by his transiency, it
is, therefore, not surprising to
find that by far the majority of
those under 21 years of age had ver¬
ifiable legal settlement.
There was n; ci,-..;ifio.'-nt .• la-
t ions nip between age and. the legal
settlement status of transient fam¬
ily group heads: slightly over, or
slightly under, one-half of those in
each age group had verifiable legal
settlement. There are two circum¬
stances w/ich help to explain . "ue
difference between the legal settle¬
ment status of unattached transients
and heads of transient family groups;
(l).Tho family group heads were some¬
what older than the unattached tran¬
sients, and included only a negligi¬
ble number of minors. (See Table 3,
Appendix.) (2).The additions to, and
withdrawals from, the transient re¬
lief population are proportionately
greater among the younger unattached
transients than among either the old¬
er unattached or the family group
transients. In other words, the
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6388
younger unattached transients remain
on the road a shorter period of time
a.nd are less likely than the older
unattached to lose their settlement
through absence. The family groups,
on the other hand, show less evidence
of an age differential in turnover.
(See discussion of age and time of
starting migration, below.)
A home, and Legal Settlement Sta¬
tus . The fact that aoout one-half
of the transients studied had veri¬
fiable legal settlement in some spe¬
cific community provides no assur¬
ance that they would benefit from a
return to those communities. Leaving
aside for the moment such important
causes of transiency as the inabil¬
ity to obtain employment or adequate
relief in the community of settle¬
ment, there is the immediate ques¬
tion of how many of those with set¬
tlement still had a home there. This
question can be answered by refer¬
ence to Table 2, Appendix, which
shows that somewhat over one-ha.lf of
the unattached and only one-quarter
of the heads of family groups who
had verifiable legal settlement also
had a home in the community of set¬
tlement.
As was the case with age and le¬
gal settlement status, the propor¬
tion of unattached transients having
both verifiable settlement and a
home was not uniform for all age
groups. Over four-fifths of the un¬
attached minors, and slightly under
three-fourths of the unattached tran¬
sients 21 thru 24 years of age who
had verifiable settlement also had a
home. On the other hand, less than
three-tenths of unattachea transients
45 thru 64 years of age, and nf
slightly over one-third of those 65
years of age or older who had veri¬
fiable settlement, also had a home.
Only one-quarter of the transient
family groups with verifiable legal
settlement likewise had a home in
the community of settlement. The
proportion was higher for family
groups whose heads were under 35
years of age, and lower for those
whose heads were 35 years of age
and older. Making allowances for the
older age of the family heads, this
result is similar to that found for
the unattached transients with veri¬
fiable legal settlement.
It would seem, therefore, that
plans for returning transients to
community life must take account of
these facts: (l) that about one—half
of the transients no longer have a
legal residence in which they might
be eligible for relief; (2) that of
those who do have a legal residence
only slightly over one-half of the
unattached and only one-quarter of
the family groups still have a home
there; and (3) that the proportion
with legal settlement but without
homes is larger among the older than
among the younger transients, indi¬
cating that' the former have made a
more definite break with their for¬
mer environment than have the latter.
Residence History Prior to Higra-
tion. There is a common but mistak¬
en belief that the transient relief
population represents an essentially
unstable' group of individuals and
families. This belief comes by vir¬
tue of the fact that during a period
of widespread unemployment one part
of the general population is found
on the road—unemployed, and in need
of relief. But when the residence
histories of a representative sample
of these depression migrants are ex¬
amined, it is found that for consid¬
erable periods between January 1,
1929, and the time of starting mi¬
gration, a majority of both the un¬
attached and the family group tran¬
sients had changed the locality .of
their residence infrequently, or not
at all, and that at no time had they
interrupted the continuity of Resi¬
dence by periods of migration^' H»w-
4/ Residence histories are classi¬
fied as continuous or non-continuous.
A continuous residence history is
one in which the time elapsing be¬
tween the date of quitting residence
- 3 -
6388
ever, there remains a minority of
"both the unattached and family group
transients whose residence histories
prior to the present migration show
frequent changes in locality as well
as one or more periods "between these
changes when there was no place of
residence. In the discussion that
follows, information will "be present¬
ed indicating that it is the minor¬
ity, rather than the majority, of
the transient relief population,
which may properly "be considered un¬
stable .
It was found that the residence
histories of 2,278, or 65 percent,
of the 3,512 unattached transients,
and of 210, or 56 percent, of the
371 family groups studied, were con¬
tinuous for the period January 1,
1929, until the time of beginning
migration; that is, at no time dur¬
ing this period were these cases
without a residence in some locality.
(See Table 3a and 4a, Appendix.) But
the fact that a. majority of both
groups had. a continuous residence
history before migration becomes
even more significant when it is
found that 57 percent of the unat¬
tached transients and 65 percent of
the family groups with continuous
residence histories had started mi¬
gration during the period January 1,
to mid-June 1935. Moreover, an addi¬
tional 17 percent of the unattached
and 15 percent of the family groups
began migration during the -last six
months of 1934; and 11 percent of
both groups began migration during
the first six months of 1934. (See
Tables 3b and 4b, Appondix.) In all,
4/(cont'd)inone place and estab-
lishing it in another did not ex¬
ceed one month; and a non-continuous
residence history is one in which
there were periods exceeding one
month between quitting a residence
in one place and establishing it in
another, or in which there was no
residence during January 1929 though
there may have been one or more sub¬
sequent to that date.
then, 85 percent of the unattached
transients and 91 percent of the fam¬
ily groups with continuous residence
histories had been on the road less
than eighteen months, while the per¬
iod examined was six years and six
months.
Of these transients with continu¬
ous residence histories, 95 percent
of the unattached, and 83 percent of
the family groups, had lived in one
to three localities before migration.
However, 67 percent of the unat¬
tached and 42 percent of the family
groups, had lived in one locality
beginning on or before January 1,
1929, and continuing during the en¬
tire period preceding migration (see
Tables 5a and 5b, Appendix.) Addi¬
tional information on residence
changes can best be given in summary
form (Table B):
Table B. Number of Places of Resi¬
dence of Transients with Continuous
Residence HistoriesS/Prior to Migra¬
tion^
Number of Unattached Family group
places transients transients
All cases 2278 SIS
Percent Distribution
All cases
100
100
1 place
67
42
2 places
19
35
3 places
9
11
4 or more
5
12
a/ Residence history refers to the
period January 1, 1929, until time
of starting migration.
It is evident that family groups
changed community of residence more
frequently than did the unattached.
While at first this seems surprising
since within the transient relief
population family groups are less
mobile than the unattached, it must
be remembered that the period re¬
ferred to was prior to the period of
transiency. Furthermore, the unat¬
tached were somewhat younger than
the heads of family groups (see Ta.-
6388
tie 8f. Appendix) and included a con¬
siderable number of young persons
who could not, of their own volition
have changed their place of residence
during part, or most, of the period
January 1, 1939 to the time of start¬
ing migration.
Taiile the majority of the tran¬
sients studied _had continuous resi¬
dence histories before starting mi¬
gration, there -,vere 1,193, or 34 per¬
cent, of the 3,512 unattached tran¬
sients, and 160, or 43 percent, of
the 374 transient family groups,
wnose residence histories prior to
migration were non-continuous; that
is, between January 1, 1929, and the
time of starting migration there
were periods of more than one month
when they had no place of residence,
(See Tables 3a and 4a, Appendix.) Of
these transients with non-continuous
residence histories prior to migra¬
tion, 44 percent of the unattached
transients, and 50 percent of the
family groups had started their cur¬
rent migration during the period
January 1 to mid-June 1935. An addi¬
tional 16 percent of the unattached
and •22 percent of the family groups
began mi-ration during tue last six
months of 1954; and 9 percent of the
unattached and 11 percent of the fam¬
ily groups began migration during
the first sir. months of 1934. Sum¬
ming up the percentage of both groups,
it is found that 69 percent of the
unattached transients and 33 percent
of the family groups with non-contin¬
uous residence histories had oeen on
the road less than eighteen months.
(See Tables 5b and 4b, Appendix.)
Among the transients with non-con¬
tinuous residence histories, 11 per¬
cent of the unattached transients
had no place of residence during the
entire period January 1, 1929 to mid-
June 1935; 19 percent had lived in
one locality prior to migration, and
30 percent in two localities. Among
the transient family groups, 6 per¬
cent had no nlace of residence; 15
percent had lived in one locality
prior to migration, and 28 percent
had lived in two localities. (See Ta¬
bles 5a and 6b, Appendix.) The res¬
idence changes of transients with
non-continuous residence hisroties
can be summarized as follows:
Table C. Number of Plcaes of Resi¬
dence of Transients with Non-contin-
ucus Residence Histories®./ Prior to
Migration.
lumber of Unattached Hamily group
places transients transients
All cases 1198 160
Percent Distribution
All cases 100
None 11
1 place 19
2 places 30
5 places 19
4 or more 21
a./ Residence history refers to the
period January 1, 1929, until time
of starting migration.
Although amongthe transients with
non-continuous residence histories
the percentage with no place of resi¬
dence was smaller- among the family
groups than among the unattached
transients, it is evident that the
family grovps changed localities of
residence core frequently before mi¬
gration than did the unattached. This
is shown by the fact that the per¬
centage of families that had lived
in ope, two, or three places was
smaller, and the percentage that had
lived in four or more places was
larger, than in the case of the un¬
attached transients.
When transients with continuous
and non-coiitinuous residence histo¬
ries prior to migration are compared
it seems obvious that the former was
a much more stable group than the
latter. The evidence upon which this
conclusion is based consists of (l)
the difference in the time of start¬
ing migration, and (2) the differ¬
ence in the number of residence
changes made prior to migration.
100
6
15
26
14
37
-5-
6388-
Table D» Time ox Starting Migration for Unattached and Family Group Tran-
sients. Classified by Residence Historyii/Prior to Migration.
Re sidence hi story
Time of starting Unattached Family group
migration transient s transients
Continuous Hon-continuous Continuous Uon-continuous
All cases 2278 1198 210 160
Percent
D i s t
ribution
All cases
100
100
100
100
1935
January-June
57
44
65
50
1934
July-D e ce mb e r
17
16
15
22
J anuary-June
11
9
11
11
1933
7
9
3
6
1932 and -prior
8
22
6
11
a/ Residence history refers to the period January 1, 1929, until tine of
starting migration.
Among both the unattached and fam¬
ily groups, the percentage that had
been on the roa.d less than eighteen
months was higher for those with con¬
tinuous than for those with non-con¬
tinuous residence histories prior to
migration. However, the contrast is
more marked for the unatta.ched than
for the family group transients (Ta¬
ble D, above,) More®ver, both unat¬
tached and family group transients"4
had changed localities of residence
more frequently than had those with
continuous residence histories. This
finding becomes even more signifi¬
cant in view of the fact shown above
that transients with non-continuous
residence histories had been on the
road a longer period of time; that
is, they had started migration earl¬
ier than had those with continuous
residence histories. A comparison of
residence changes made by transients
with continuous and non-continuous
reisdence nistories during the per¬
iod from January 1, 1929, until the
time of starting migration, shows
that 33 percent of the -unattached
and 58 percent of the family group
transients with continuous residence
histories had lived in two or more
localities prior to migration, in
contrast with 70 percent of the un¬
attached and 79 percent of the fam—
ily transient groups with non-con¬
tinuous residence history. Moreover,
11 percent of the unattached and 6
percent of the family group tran¬
sients with non-continuous residence
histories had no place of residence
during the entire period beginning-
January 1, 1929. It seems obvious,
therefore, both from the time of
starting migration, and from the
number of residence changes before
migration, thai transients with non-
continuous residence histories rep¬
resent the less stable group in the
transient relief population.
Time for Starting Migration by Age
Groups. It is instructive to com¬
pare the time of starting migration
as shown by the total monthly regis¬
trations in the 13 cities of the
monthly transient study~' with the
data from the sample representing
both registration and cases under
care in the 36 cities which were
used in the study of residence his¬
tories. The comparison follows:
5/ These cities served a's the basis
of'the Research Section's study of
* with non—contin, residence histories
-s-
6388
Table E. Time of Starting migration
Unattached
transients
Family group
transients
Jirae of starting
migration Registrations Sample Registrations Sample
13 cities
36 cities
13 cities
36 cities
All cases
All cases
1955
January-June
If 34
July-Dec ember
J anuary- June
1953
1932
1951-1930
1929 and prior
Not ascertainable
22,674
Percent
100
65
14
7
5
2
3
5
1
3,512 1,448
Distribution
100
100
53
16
10
8
3
5
5
57
22
6
5
2
3
4
1
574
18
11
The agreement between the two dis¬
tributions of time of starting migra¬
tion is surprisingly close consider¬
ing that the da.ta for the 13 cities
represent total registrations for
the month of June, while the sample
data from the 36 cities represent
both registrations and cases under
care curing the period June 17 to
June 22—a six-day period.
Yfh.cn the time of starting migra¬
tion of the unattached transients
registered in the 13 cities is clas¬
sified by age groups, it is found
that the transiency of the -younger
is much more recent than that of the
older individuals. For instance, 86 •
percent of the unattached, transients
5/ (cont'd.) transient service bu¬
reau cases and are included among
the 36 cities in which the sample
study of residence histories was made.
The 13 cities are: Eoston-Ch.ica.go-
Dallas-Denver-Jacksonville Fla.-Kan¬
sas City Mo.-Los Angeles-Memphis-Min-
neapolis-ilew Orleans-Phoenix-Pitts¬
burgh-Seattle.
under 16 years of age, and 75 per¬
cent of those 16 thru 24 years,start¬
ed migration during 1935, in con¬
trast with 50 percent of those 45
thru 64 years jf age, 49 percent of
tnnse over 65 years, and 65 percent
of all unattached transients. (See
Table- 7a, Appendix. ) This age dif¬
ference is made particularly strik¬
ing in Chart A where percent bars of
equal dimensions for each age group
are broken to show the percentage
starting migration by years, and
parts of years.
The inverse relationship between
age and period of migration, so evi¬
dent for those who started during
the first six months of 1935, is re¬
versed for those who started during
1934, and earlier years. Only 11
percent of the unattached transients
under 16 years of age and 17 per¬
cent of those 16 thru 24 years began
migration daring 1934, in contrast
with 24 percent of those 45 years of
age and older, and with 21 percent
of ail unattached transients. T/hen
an examination is made of the age of
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6388
unattached transients who had start¬
ed migration during 1933 or earlier,
it is found that those under 25
years of age form a much smaller
proportion than do those 25 years of
age or older.
Among the heads of transient fam¬
ily groups the relationship between
age and time of starting migration
is much less marked. But it must be
noted that there were no family heads
under 16 years of age, and too few
65 years or older, to warrant a per¬
centage distribution of the time ox-
starting migration, (See Table 7b,
Appendix, and Chart B«) But even ex¬
cluding the extremes of youth and
old age, it is still evident that
age is a. less important factor in
the transiency of family groups than
in that of unattached persons.
Before closing the discussion of
age and time of starting migration,
two further facts should be noted:
(l) the proportion of the several
age groups that came into the popu¬
lation during the month of registra¬
tion (June), and (2) the difference
in the rate of addition of unat¬
tached and family groups. Among both
the unattached transients and the
heads of families, the rate of addi¬
tion (i.e., those starting migration
during the month of registration)
was highest among those under 25
years of age; and the rate of addi¬
tion was higher among the unattached
of all ages (24 percent) than among
all family groups (15 percent).
These two facts seem to justify
the conclusion that the turnover in
the transient relief population is
higher among the unattached than
among the family groups, and higher
among the younger than among the old¬
er members of both groups®/.
§J for further discussion of rates
of addition and turnover, see Tran¬
sients in March 1955, Research Bul-
letin TR-5, Division of Research,
Statistics, and finance, f. E. R. A,
June 14, 1935,
A P PSHDIX
The 36 cities in which schedules were taken
Alabama: Mobile
Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma
Arkansas: Little Pock
California: Los Angeles, Sen Prancisco
Colorado: Denver
Connecticut: New Lonaon
Florida: Jacksonville, Tampa
Georgia: Atlanta
Illinois: Chicago
Indiana: Muncie
Kansas: Dodge City-
Kentucky: Ashland
Louisiana: New Orleans
Massachusetts: Boston
Michigan: Detroit
Minnesota: Minneapolis
Missouri: Kanscs City
New York: Albany, New York
North Carolina: Greensboro
North Dakota: F'argo
Ohio: Cincinnati
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Tennessee: Memphis
Texa.s: Amarillo, Dallas
Virginia: pichraond
Washington: Seattle, Spokane
Wisconsin: Madison
Wyoming: Cheyenne
-9-
6388
Table 1. Age and Legal Settlement Status of Interstate Transients Registered
in Thirty—Six Cities.
Settlement status
Total
Under
16 years
16-20
years
21-24
years
25—34
years
35-44
years
45-64
years
65 and
over
Unattached transients
3512
8
494
639
914
713
654
90
Heads of transient
family groups
374
-
3
46
143
102
72
8
P E
R C E
NT D I
S T R
IBUT
I 0 IT
Unattached transients
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
With settlement;
Verifiable
56
100
89
64
53
46
39
39
Non-verifiable
7
—
3
8
8
10
9
4
Uo settlement
36
—
6
27
39
44
52
56
Hot ascertainable
1
2
1
*
—
—
1
Heads of family groups
• 100
a/
100
100
100
100
With settlement;
Verifiable
49
-
48
49
51
46
Non-verifiable
10
11
10
13
8
No settlement
40
—
35
41
36
48
Not ascertainable
1
—
6
-
—
* Less than .5 percent.
a/Two cases verifiable , one case non-verifiable,
b/Three cases verifiable; one, non-verifiable; four, no settlement.
- 10 -
6388
Table 2. Home Status of Transients with Verifiable Settlement.
Home in community Total
of settlement
Under 16
years
15-20
years
21-24
years
25-34
years
35-44
years
45-64
years
65 yrs.
& over
Unattached transients
1957
8
439
407
488
327
253
35
Heads of family groups
181
-
1
23
70
51
33
3
P
E R
CENT
D I S T
HBU
T I 0
N
Unattached transients
100
d
100
100
100
100
100
100
With home
56
85
72
48
35
29
34
Without home
40
13
25
47
60
66
57
Not ascertaine.ble
u
2
3
5
5
5
9
Heads of family groups
100
,
d
100
100
100
100
c/
YiTith home
25
—
-
35
29
14
24
Without home
72
—
-
61
70
' 82
73
Not ascertainable
3
—
—
4
1
4
3
a/ Seven cases had a home, one did not.
b/ One case hod a home,
cJ One case hod a home, two did not.
-11-
6358
Table 3a. Residence History^/ of Unattached 'Transients, Classified by Time
of Starting Migration
Time of starting migration
Residence history
Total
1935
Jan.-
June
1934
July- Jan.-
Dec. June
1933
1932
1931
1930
1929
Prior
to
1929
All persons
3512
1848
576
360
278
125
104
64
29
128
PER
C E N
T D
1ST
R I
BUT
I 0
N
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Continuous
65
70
66
68
59
58
54
67
72
•>*
No n- co nt i mious
34
29
33
31
39
41
43
33
28
100
Not ascertainable
1
1
1
1
2
1
3
-
-
-
a/ Residence history refers to the period January 1, 1929 until time of
starting migration.
Table 3b. Time of Starting Migration and Residence History^ of Unattached
Transients
| - ■ ■ i . ■ ■ i — mrm ■■ « ■ ■■ — "hi i»i » ■■ ■ !« ■ ■ ■ ' ■— ' i ■ ■■■- — i 1— j— ,— , -
Time of starting migration
Residence history '
Number
1935 19
Jan.- July-
June Dec,
34
Jan.- 1933
June
1932
1931
1930
1929
Prior
to
1929
P E R C
E N T
' D I S T R
I B U
T I
0 N
All persons
3512
100
53
16
10 8
3.
3
2
•1
4
Continuous
2278
100
57
17
11 7
3
2
2
1
—
No n~continuous
1198
100
44
16
9 9
4
4
2
1
11
Not ascertainable
36
100
53
17
8 11
3
8
-
-
+4
aJ Residence history refers to the period January 1, 1929 until time of start¬
ing migration.
-12-
6338
Table 4a. Residence History^ of Transient Family Groups
Classified by Time of Starting Migration.
Time of starting migration
Residence history
Total
1535
Jan. -
June
1934 Prior to
July- Jan.- 1934
Dec. June
All persons
374
219
68
40 47
PERCE
N T D
I S T
R I B U
T I 0 I'l
All persons
100
100
100
100 100
Continuous
56
62
47
55 43
Ncn-c out inuous
43 '
37
52
45 57
hot ascertainable
1
1
1
- —
a/ Residence history
r refers
to the
period
January 1, 192-9
until time of starting migration.
Table 4b. Time of Starting Migration and Residence History—' of Transient
Family Groups
Time of starting migration
Residence history
Number
1935
1934
Prior
Jan. -
July-
Jan.- 1933 1932 1931 1930
1929 to
June
Dec.
June
1929
P E
R C E
N T
DISTRIBUTION
All persons
374
100
59
18
11 4 2 2 1
1 2
Continuous
210
100
65
15
11 3 2 12
1
Non-continuous
160
100
50
22
11 6 14-
C
Not ascertainable
4
V
a/ Residence history refers to
the period
January 1, 1S29 until time
of start-
ing migration.
by Percentage not computed because of small numbers involved.
-13-
6388
Table 5a. Places of Residence?./ before Migration and Time of Starting Migratio
for Transients with Continuous Residence Histories.
Unattached transients
Time of starting migration
Number of places lived
in prior to migration
Total
1935
d 3.11«
June
19
July-
Dec.
54
Jan.-
June
1S33
1932
1931
1930
1926
All persons
2278
1294
380
247
165
72
56
43
21
PERCE
N T
D I S
TRIB
U T I
0 N
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
One place
67
65
68
67
62
75
70
72
95
Two places
19
19
18
21
28
14
10
23
5
Three places
9
10
9
5
5
8
13
5
-
Four places
3
3
3
5
4
2
5
—
» »
Five places
1
2
1
1
*
1
2
-
-
Six or more places
1
1
1
1
*
-
-
-
a/ Between January 1, 1^29 and time of starting migration.
Table 5b. Places of Residence^/ before Migration and Time
if Starting Migration for 'Transients with Con¬
tinuous Residence Histories.
Family groups transients
Time of starting migration
Number of places lived
in prior to migration
Total
1935
Jan.-
June
1934
July- Jan.-
De c. June
Prior
. to
1934
All persons
210
136
32
22
20
PERCENT
D I
S T R
I B U T
ION
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
One place
42
36
47
59
55
Two places
35
37
35
22
35
Three places
11
14
6
9
5
Four places
5
5
6
5
5
Five places
3
4
-
-
-
Six or more places
4
4
6
5
-
* Less than .5 percent.
a/ Between January 1, 1929 and time, of starting migration.
- 14 -
6388
Table 6a. Places of Residence-^/before Migration and Time of Starting Migration
. for Transients with Non-continuous Residence Histories.
Unattached transients.
Time of starting migration
Number of places lived
in prior to migration
Total
1935
Jan.-
June
1934
July-
Dec.
Jan.-
June
1933
1932
1931
1930
1929
Prior
to
1929
All persons
1198
535
190
110
109
52
45
21
8
128
P
E R C E
N T
D I S
T R I
BUT
I 0
N
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
None
11
—
100
One place
19
17
19
22
23
31
51
57
100
Two places
30
33
33
26
38
44
36
38
—
—
Three places
19
23
22
22
18
19
9
5
-
-
Pour places
11
14
15
13
11
2
2
-
-
-
Five places
5
8
4
9
5
4
_
_
—
Six places
3
3
4
5
2
-
-
-
-
-
Seven places
1
1
2
2
2
-
-
-
-
-
Eight or more places
1
1
1
1
1
-
2
-
-
—
a/ Between January 1, 1929 and time of starting migration.
Table 6b. Places of Residencea/ before Migration and
Time of Starting Migration for Transients
with Non-continuous Residence Histories.
Pamily group transients
Time_ of st.arting migration
Number of places lived
Total
1935
1934
Prior
in prior to migration
Jan.-
July -
Jan.
to
June
Dec.
June
1934
All persons
163
80
35
18
27
PERCENT
D I S
T R I
B U T I
0 N
All persons
100
100
100
b/
100
None
6
34
One place
15
12
14
22
Two places
28
28
29
22
Three places
14
14
20
7
Four places
19
24
14
4
Five places
9
11
11
7
Six places
4
6
3
-
Seven places
4
5
6
-
Eight or more places
1
-
3
4
a/ Between January 1, 1929 and time of starting migration.
bj Three families lived in one place, seven in two places,
three in three places, and five in four places.
-15-
6388
Table 7a'. Unattached Transients, Registered in 13 Cities, Classified hy
Time of Starting Migration, and by Age Groups, June, 1935.
Time of starting
utal
Under 16
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-64
65 &
N.A
migration
years
years
years
years
years
over
All persons 22
,674
86
S623
6076
3832
2782
266
9
PER
C E
NT D I
S TRIE
U T I
0 N
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
ay
1935
65
86
75
62
54
50
49
—
January
4
3
4
5
4
r*7
o
2
-
Feb ruary
4
3
4
4
4
3
4
-
March
6
5
7
6
6
5
4
—
April
8
8
O
9
7
8
6
-
May
19
12
21
18
16
14
12
-
June
24
55
30
20
17
17
20
-
Not ascertainable
*
*
*
-
-
1
-
1J34
21
11
17
22
25
24
24
J anuary-Feb ruary
1
—
1
1
1
1
3
-
March-April
2
—
2
2
3
2
3
-
May-June
4
1
3
3
5
5
5
-
July-August
4
3
3
4
5
5
3
-
September-October
5
6
4
6
6
6
4
-
• November-December
5
1
4
6
5
5
6
-
Not ascertainable
*
-
*
*
*
*
-
-
1933
5
rw
U
4
5
7
8
9
J anuary-March
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
April-June
2
—
1
2
2
3
3
-
July-September
1
-
1
1
2
2
1
-
0 ctober-De cemb er
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
-
Not Ascertainable
*
1
*
*
*
*
1
-
1932
2
_
1
2
3
4
3
1931-1930
3
—
1
3
4
5
6
—
1929 and prior
3
1
5
6
8
8
-
Not ascertainable
*
—
*
*
*
*
-
-
No recent migration
*
-
*
*
*
*
1
—
aj Percentage not computed because of small numbers involved.
* Less than .5 percent.
-16-
6388
Table 7"b. Heads of Transient Family Groups, -Registered in 13 Cities,
Classified by Time of Starting Migration, and by Age Groups,
June, 1935.
Time of starting Under 16
. migration 'Total years
16-24
years
25-34
years
35-44
years
45-64
years
65 & N.A.
over
All persons
1448
259
582
366
217
23 1
P E
R C E N T D I
S T R I
B U T I
0 N
All persons
100
100
100
100
100
sj a/
1935
57
60
59
54
55
_
J anuary
4
2
5
5
4
- -
February
5
5
6
2
6
_
March
7
6
8
6
5
- -
April
10
9
10
12
9
—•
May
16
15
19
16
12
-
June
15
23
11
13
19
- -
Not ascertainable
-
-
-
-
-
-
1934
28
%
27
26
29
28
-
J anuary-Feb ruary
1
2
1
2
-
— -
March-April
2
2
3
2
1
— -
May-June
3
2
2
5
3
_ —
July-August
7
9
7
7
6
— —
September-October
7
5
7
6
8
November-De cember
8
7
6
7
10
- —
Not ascertainable
* _
-
*
-
00
*•*
1933
5
5
7
5
4
— —
J anuary-Mar ch
1
2
1
1
1
April-June
1
—
2
1
1
July-September
1
1 '
2
1
1
~ —
0 c t ob e r-D e cemb e r
2
2
2
2
1
— —
Not ascertainable
- -
-
-
-
*-• •—
1932
2
2
1
2
1
1931-1930
3
3
3
3
5
—
1929 and prior
4
3
3
6
7
•>* M
Not ascertainable
* —
-
*
-
-
- _
No recent migration
1
.«
1
1
"
• "
a/ Percentage not confuted because of small numbers involved.
* Less than .5 percent.
-17-
6388
Table 8. Age of Unattached Transients and
Heads of Family Groups, 36 City Sample
& - „ Unattached Heads of
Age groups . •
transients family groups
All
ages
3512
374
P e
r c e n t D
i s t r
i b u t i
^11
ages
100
100
Under
16 years
*
*
16-20
years
14
1
21-24
years
18
12
25-34
years
26
38
35-44
years
20
28
45-64
years
19
19
65 years ana over
3
•2
* Less than.5 percent
Note: The age groups used in the tahle dif¬
fer slightly from those to he found in the
series of monthly bulletins on the transient
relief population prepared by the Research
Section. A change was made in the younger
age groups so that the proportion of minors
could be determined; and two of the older
age groups were combined.
In preparing the specifications of the
sample to be studied, account was taken of
the difference between the age of transients
currently registered, and those under care.
Current registrations are weighted by the
younger and more mobile transients, while
cases under care are weighted by the older
transients. Since information was to be ob¬
tained regarding persons from both of these
groups, selection of cases according to a
modified age distribution, taking into con¬
sideration the two extremes, was specified
for the sample.
CHART A
TIME OF STARTING MIGRATION, BY AGE GROUPS
UNATTACHED TRANSIENTS
13 CITIES-JUNE, 1935
YOUTHS
under le is- 24
MIDDLE AGE
OLD AGE
65 ano over
75633
..