Daily AncestorWorking out
Working out was a 1910 and 1920 census entry meaning a farm laborer worked for wages on someone else's farm, not the family farm.
The 1910 and 1920 instructions told enumerators to write working out in the industry column for farm laborers employed away from home, and home farm for those working for their own family.
Seeing working out next to a young person can help explain why they were living in another household, often as a hired hand or boarder.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 and 1920 census
Farm laborer / Working out
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Working out." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/working-out. Last checked 2026-10-01.