Born that year
Estimate2.6 million babies
an estimated 2,559,000 born in the U.S. (CDC/NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
Live births adjusted for underregistration, rounded to thousands (NVSR 59-1 Table 1).
CDC/NCHS, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Born in 1940
America in 1940
In 1940, about 132 million people lived in the United States, an estimated 2.6 million babies were born (CDC/NCHS), and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president.
A dollar from 1940 buys what $24.07 buys today, by consumer prices.
The Born Story shows the world on the day you were born — enter a birthday to see the weather, prices, and headlines of that day.
How many babies were born in 1940?
How many people lived in the U.S. in 1940?
Americans that year
1940 figure132 million Americans
as of July 1, 1940 (U.S. Census Bureau)
US Census Bureau
Includes service members overseas.
US Census Bureau, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How much did things cost in 1940?
A dollar then
1940 average$24.07 today
By consumer prices, 1940 average vs. Sept. 2026 (BLS CPI-U).
| First-class stampall of 1940 | 3¢ |
BLS · USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
Prices in the table are as charged then, not adjusted for inflation.
BLS, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How long were people expected to live in 1940?
Life expectancy at birth
1940 figure62.9 years
U.S. life expectancy at birth, 1940 (NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
All races, both sexes. A snapshot of that year’s death rates, not a forecast for any one person.
CDC/NCHS, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Who was president in 1940?
In the White House
1940Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States
US House Office of the Historian
US House Office of the Historian, 1940 · Source (opens in a new tab)
A birthday poster from 1940
Someone born in 1940 gets a poster of their own day: the weather where they were born, the Moon that night, and what the world looked like, with every fact sourced.
Make one for a 1940 birthdaySee the day you were born in 1940
The weather that day, the Moon that night, and your hometown, each with its source.