The Problems of a Changing Population

Assessing Americans as a natural resource.

This incredibly detailed landmark study highlights many of the social, economic, and demographic challenges faced by the American people after having suffered through the Great Depression for nearly a decade. An aging population, unequal mortality rates, and declining birth rates were all causes of concern, reflected in this 1938 federal report published by the Government Printing Office.

The extensive table of contents outlines the depth of fascinating (and sometimes troubling) subject matter, including regional distribution of economic opportunity, the effects of social conditions on birth rates, cultural diversity, and ‘Physical Characteristics and Biological Inheritance’ (i.e. eugenics). Numerous tables of statistics, charts, maps, and diagrams are included throughout the volume and help to document the hypothesized trends – intensive scientific rigor and data visualization previously applied primarily to the land and its resources. Three fold-outs show the distribution of agriculture vs. mining counties, net migration patterns, and population changes across the continental United States.