Daily AncestorWithout occupation
Without occupation, or none, was a census entry for a person with no paid work and no independent income.
The 1870 and 1880 instructions told enumerators to report grown daughters helping their mothers at home as without occupation. In 1910 and 1920, the entry none covered people with no job who were supported by others, including women doing housework in their own home.
None or a blank does not mean the person did no work, only that the census did not count it as an occupation.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1870 to 1920 census
Nancy, 22, dau., Without occupation
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Without occupation." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/without-occupation. Last checked 2026-10-01.