Daily AncestorGW
GW in the 1940 census class of worker column means a government worker, including people on WPA, NYA or CCC work.
In 1940, GW marked anyone employed by a federal, state or local government agency, whatever the rank. The instructions say it also covers everyone on public emergency work such as the WPA, NYA and CCC programs.
For Depression-era families this is a useful clue: a GW entry next to an occupation like laborer, road may mean a relief job rather than a regular government post. Look at the emergency work column on the same line to tell them apart.
As seen in a recordOccupation columns of the 1940 census
Laborer, Road construction (WPA), GW
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Daily Ancestor. "GW." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/census-gw. Last checked 2026-10-10.