Table 3.

Farmers’ Share in Labor Force and Relative Family Origin in the U.S., by Data Source

	Share of Labor Force	By Father’s Occupation
		White Collar	Farmer	Skilled/Semiskilled	Unskilled
Census 1850–1880
Marginal		7.1%	68.3%	18.1%	6.4%
Farmers	50.9%	4.3%	83.3%	9.0%	3.4%
Census 1860–1880
Marginal		9.5%	64.1%	17.4%	9.0%
Farmers	43.9%	3.7%	82.2%	8.9%	5.2%
Census 1880–1900
Marginal		11.3%	56.5%	21.5%	10.7%
Farmers	31.5%	3.4%	83.7%	7.4%	5.5%
OCG 1973
Marginal		27.9%	15.1%	41.4%	15.6%
Farmers	2.5%	3.9%	80.3%	9.2%	6.6%
GSS 1977–1990
Marginal		38.6%	9.1%	41.9%	10.4%
Farmers	1.7%	0.0%	86.7%	6.7%	6.7%
NSLY 1979
Marginal		43.5%	3.5%	43.3%	9.8%
Farmers	1.3%	7.7%	61.5%	15.4%	15.4%

Note: Data were provided by Joseph Ferrie. See Long and Ferrie (forthcoming).