The 1930s and up to 1940 proved difficult for people looking for work in cities across the United States due to the Great Depression. With the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, federal work programs came about with the New Deal which helped many Americans survive.
Surprisingly, the 1940 federal census showed that the majority of the residents of “the Blocks” in Belmont-DeVilliers had jobs. Only 3 residents listed themselves as unemployed. The largest grouping of workers had jobs as domestics. This would include maids, butlers, housekeepers, and housewives. A large portion, mainly made up of children of various ages, went to school and listed that as their occupation. Laborers, Textile Services, and Food Services made up the next three groupings. The majority of the workers in this area had blue-collar jobs, but a few such as an auditor, needed a higher level of education to perform their occupation. This visualization shows the general grouping of occupations, but the residents had various and specific jobs listed in the census.