Statistics: Immigration in America, Ku Klux Klan membership: 1915-1940s
by Cindy Alexander
The following charts are presented in the book The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915–1930 by Kenneth T. Jackson.
The first chart represents the states with the highest recorded membership in the Klan during this time period. The approximate numbers are based on the estimates of former members, media reporters, and Klan documents.
The second two charts provide a comparison between Klan members’ occupations in Winchester, IL, and Chicago, IL, during the years 1922–1923. This information comes from publication of Klan membership in an anti-Klan newspaper in Chicago called Tolerance. This information provides insight into the Klan’s role as a nativist organization and the characteristics of the organization specifically during this time period. Use the charts to answer the following questions.
| States with Largest Ku Klux Klan Membership: 1915–1944 | |
| State | No. of Persons Initiated into State Klan |
| Indiana | 240,000 |
| Ohio | 195,000 |
| Texas | 190,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 150,000 |
| Illinois | 95,000 |
| Oklahoma | 95,000 |
| New York | 80,000 |
| Michigan | 70,000 |
| Georgia | 65,000 |
| New Jersey | 60,000 |
| Florida | 60,000 |
| Occupational Distribution of Klansmen in Winchester, Illinois | |||||
| White-Collar Workers | Blue-Collar Workers | ||||
 |
Number | Percentage | |
Number | Percentage |
| Clerks | 13 | 7.2 | Farmers | 74 | 41.1 |
| Businessmen | 7 | 3.9 | Laborers | 33 | 18.3 |
| Ministers | 6 | 3.3 | Mechanics | 6 | 3.3 |
| Salesmen | 3 | 1.7 | Telephone | 5 | 2.8 |
| Chiropractors | 3 | 1.7 | Carpenters | 4 | 2.2 |
| Politicians | 3 | 1.7 | Barbers | 3 | 1.7 |
| Teachers | 3 | 1.7 | Blacksmiths | 2 | 1.1 |
| Physicians | 2 | 1.1 | Miners | 2 | 1.1 |
| Druggists | 1 | 0.6 | Painters | 2 | 1.1 |
| Undertakers | 1 | 0.6 | Printers | 1 | 1.1 |
| Dentists | 1 | 0.6 | Hodmen | 1 | .06 |
| Bookkeepers | 1 | 0.6 | Railroad | 1 | .06 |
| Lawyers | 1 | 0.6 | |
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| Professors | 1 | 0.6 | |
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| Total | 46 | 25.6 | Total | 134 | 74.4 |
| Occupational Distribution of Klansmen in Chicago, Illinois | |||||
| White-Collar Workers | Blue-Collar Workers | ||||
|
Number | Percentage | |
Number | Percentage |
| Businessmen | 22 | 20.0 | Foremen | 8 | 7.3 |
| Salesmen | 13 | 11.8 | R.R. workers | 7 | 6.2 |
| Clerks | 10 | 9.1 | Printers | 4 | 3.7 |
| Lawyers | 5 | 4.6 | Firemen | 3 | 2.7 |
| Physicians | 2 | 1.8 | Unskilled | 3 | 2.7 |
| Dentists | 2 | 1.8 | Postmen | 3 | 2.7 |
| Buyers | 2 | 1.8 | Electricians | 2 | 1.8 |
| Store Mgrs | 2 | 1.8 | Truck Drivers | 2 | 1.8 |
| Realtors | 2 | 1.8 | Motormen | 2 | 1.8 |
| City Employ. | 2 | 1.8 | Policemen | 1 | .09 |
| Administrators | 1 | .09 | Guards | 1 | .09 |
| Undertakers | 1 | .09 | Factory Wks | 1 | .09 |
| Office Mgrs | 1 | .09 | Painters | 1 | .09 |
| Engineers | 1 | .09 | Carpenters | 1 | .09 |
| Musicians | 1 | .09 | Stage Mgrs | 1 | .09 |
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Steel Workers | 1 | .09 |
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Bakers | 1 | .09 |
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Plumbers | 1 | .09 |
| Total | 67 | 60.8 | Total | 43 | 38.8 |
Source: Jackson, Kenneth T. The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915–1930. Oxford University Press, 1967.