Industrial production nearly doubled during World War II. Agricultural production, on the other hand, dropped by 17% during the war years.³³

Estimated number of motor vehicles registered in the United States hit 32.4 million in 1940³⁴, but dropped to 31 million by 1945.³⁵

27.5 million households owned a radio in October 1938 when Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" was broadcast.³⁶ By September 1945, when President Harry S. Truman announced the formal surrender of Japan, 33.1 million households owned a radio.³⁷

Occupations held by women in 1940 that had previously been exclusively male:

• Airplane pilot
• Architect
• Chemical Engineer
• Industrial Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Metallurgical Engineer
• Farm and home management advisor
• Optometrist
• Naval officer
• Auctioneer
• Cement and concrete finisher
• Crane and hoist operator
• Log and lumber inspector
• Airplane mechanic
• Roofer
• Plumber
• Asbestos and insulation worker
• Power station operator³⁸

Occupations held by women in 1920 that were held by far fewer women in 1940:

• Accountant
• Actress
• Author
• College president
• College dean
• College professor
• Dietician
• Musician
• Music teacher
• Agricultural scientist
• Biological scientist
• Photographer
• Recreation worker
• Religious worker
• Psychologist
• Statistician
• Medical technician
• Dental technician
• Farmer
• Bank teller
• Cashier
• Bill collector
• Vehicle dispatcher
• Office messenger
• Telegraph operator
• Blacksmith
• Bookbinder
• Carpenter
• Typesetter
• Machinist
• Shoemaker
• Tailor
• Bus driver
• Non-factory seamstress
• Butcher
• Textile spinner
• Textile weaver
• Taxicab driver
• Washwoman (for private households)
• Boardinghouse maid
• Midwife³⁹