United States Census of Manufactures, 1929-1935, Motor Vehicle Industry

The United States Census Bureau has conducted surveys of manufacturing activity since 1810 with fluctuating frequency. Between 1919 and 1939 the Census of Manufactures (CM) was conducted biennially. This data collection consists of individual-plant data from the Census of Manufactures for 1929, 1931, 1933, and 1935, the only years in this span for which original returns are available. The records of the Motor Vehicle Industry have been coded to produce an electronic data set to provide the basis for microeconomic evidence for the study of the Great Depression. The data set contains observations on: basic information about the plants (e.g. name, location, owner, etc.), products made and materials used, operation and working hours, employment, wages and salaries, costs and amount of materials used, value and quantity of products by type, and power used.