Daily AncestorInst.
Inst. in the 1930 and 1940 census employment columns means the person was an inmate of an institution such as a prison or asylum.
In 1930, Inst was written in column 29, where a line number on the unemployment schedule would otherwise go, to explain why an institution inmate was left off that schedule. In 1940, Inst. went in the at work column for inmates of prisons, reformatories, jails, mental institutions and homes for the aged, infirm or needy.
The entry tells you why the rest of the work columns are blank. It also points to the institution's own records, if they survive.
As seen in a recordEmployment columns of the 1940 census
Field, Martin, Inmate, M, W, 47 ... Inst.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Inst.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/census-inst. Last checked 2026-10-10.