STATE OF THE UNION: 1950
Superficially, the social landscape of film noir – the “1950s” – resembles our modern world, only vintage. But it was a very different place. Here is the story of a year, by the numbers. The U.S. government conducts a national census every decade. The 1950 Census revealed that the population was:
89.5% White
10.0% Black
0.5% Other Races. This category included various groups such as American Indians, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. The 1950 census saw a rise in the proportion of Other Races from 0.4% in 1940 to 0.5%. The Census Bureau counted those with a Spanish surname and found 1.5%. But it did not regard them distinct enough from “White” to create a separate category. “Hispanic” or “Latino” did not appear on the Census until 1970. By then, that population had risen to 5%.
1950 was white bread America. As depicted in film noir, mostly spoiled, moldy slices.
The Family
Marital Status: 1950
Men: 68% married
Women: 66% married
Current
Men: 52% married
Women: 50% married
Average age of marriage: 1950
Men 23
Women 20
Average age of marriage: Current
Men: 30
Women: 29
Family households with a married couple
1950: 87%
Current: 47%
Fertility rate (children per woman):
1950: 3.1
Current: 1.6
Number of people per household
1950: 3.5
Current: 2.5
Household with children under 18
1950: 52%
Current: 39%
People living alone
1950: 9%
Current: 30%
"Homosexual" population: 1950
Official: 0%
Estimate: 10%
LBGTQ population: Current
Official: 9.3%
Estimate: More
Women in the Workplace
1950: 29%
Current: 58%
Women holding college degree:
1950: 5%
Current: 40%
Women lawyers
1950: 3.5%
Current: 61%
Married women working
1950: 21%
Current: 75%
In 1950, 82% of all women 25 to 49 years old were married and living with their husband.
Church attendance (weekly)
1950: 40% (rising to 50% during the decade)
Current: 30%
Belief in God
1950: 98%
Current: 80%
Catholic elementary schools in U.S.
1950: 8900 for population of 28 million
Current: 5500 for population of 75 million
Complete 4 years of high school or more
1950: 34.3%
Current: 90%
Length of dress
1950: mid-calf
1970: high thigh
Current: anything goes
Television Sets
1950: 9% of households
1960: 90% of households
Current: 97% of households
Cigarette smokers
1950: 49%
Current: 11%
Vegetarians/Vegans
1950: data not available, likely less 0.5%
Current: 8%
Farm dwellers
1950: 15%
Current 2%
Life Expectancy
1950: 67
Current: 79
Percent of total roads that are paved
1950: 23%
Current: 65%
Sunbelt states population rankings
Texas
1950: #6
Current: #2
Florida
1950: #20
Current: #3
Arizona
1950: #37
Current: #14
Lest you think by 1960 the world was changing fast, many of the statistics were similar then, which suggests the “50s” did not end, statistically speaking, until the mid-1960s. Then all hell broke loose.