1820 United States census

August 7, 1820 (1820-08-07)

Seal of the United States Marshals Service, which administered the census
General information
CountryUnited States
AuthorityOffice of the United States Marshal
Results
Total population9,638,454 (Increase 33.1%)
Most populous stateNew York
1,532,881
Least populous stateIllinois
55,211

The 1820 United States census was the fourth census conducted in the United States. It was conducted on August 7, 1820. The 1820 census included six new states: Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama and Maine. There has been a district wide loss of 1820 census records for Arkansas Territory, Missouri Territory,[1] and New Jersey.

The total population was determined to be 9,638,453, of which 1,538,022 were slaves. The center of population was about 120 miles (193 km) west-northwest of Washington in Hardy County, Virginia (now in West Virginia).

This was the first census in which any states recorded a population of over one millionNew York, Virginia, and Pennsylvaniaas well as the first in which a city recorded a population of over 100,000New York. It was also the first census in which Baltimore was ranked as the country's second-most populous city. Thirdly, in this census and the 14 subsequent ones, New York was the most populous state until being superseded by California in the 1970 census.

Census questions

The 1820 census contains a great deal more information than previous censuses. Enumerators listed the following data in columns, left to right:

  1. Name of the head of family
    1. of free white males under age 10
    2. of free white males age 10 to under 16
    3. of free white males age 16 to 18
    4. of free white males age 16 to under 26
    5. of free white males age 26 to under 45
    6. of free white males age 45 and up
    7. of free white females under age 10
    8. of free white females age 10 to under 16
    9. of free white females age 16 to under 26
    10. of free white females age 26 to under 45
    11. of free white females age 45 and up
    12. of foreigners not naturalized
    13. of persons engaged in agriculture
    14. of persons engaged in commerce
    15. of persons engaged in manufacture
    16. of male slaves under 14
    17. of male slaves age 14 to under 26
    18. of male slaves age 26 to under 45
    19. of male slaves age 45 and up
    20. of female slaves under 14
    21. of female slaves age 14 to under 26
    22. of female slaves age 26 to under 45
    23. of female slaves age 45 and up
    24. of free male colored persons under 14
    25. of free male colored persons age 14 to under 26
    26. of free male colored persons age 26 to under 45
    27. of free male colored persons age 45 and up
    28. of free female colored persons under 14
    29. of free female colored persons age 14 to under 26
    30. of free female colored persons age 26 to under 45
    31. of free female colored persons age 45 and up
    32. of all other persons except Indians not taxed

Several of these columns were for special counts, and not to be included in the aggregate total. Doing so would have resulted in counting some individuals twice. Census takers were asked to use double lines, red ink or some other method of distinguishing these columns so that double counting would not occur. For example, the count of free white males between 16 and 18 was a special count, because these individuals were also supposed to be tabulated in the column for free white males of age 16 and under 26.

The other special counts were foreigners not naturalized, persons engaged in agriculture, persons engaged in commerce, and persons engaged in manufacture.

Census takers were also instructed to count each individual in only one of the occupational columns. For example, if an individual was engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufacture, the census taker had to judge which one the individual was primarily engaged in.

Note to researchers

Censustaking was not yet an exact science. Before 1830, enumerators lacked pre-printed forms, and drew up their own, sometimes resulting in pages without headings, line tallies, or column totals. As a result, census records for many towns before 1830 are idiosyncratic. This is not to suggest that they are less reliable than subsequent censuses, but that they may require more work on the part of the researcher.

State rankings

RankStatePopulation
01New York1,532,981
02Virginia [2]1,075,069
03Pennsylvania1,049,458
04North Carolina638,829
05Ohio581,434
06Kentucky564,317
07Massachusetts523,287
08South Carolina502,741
09Tennessee422,823[lower-alpha 1]
10Maryland407,350
11Georgia340,989
12Maine298,335
13New Jersey277,575
14Connecticut275,202
15New Hampshire244,161
16Vermont235,981[lower-alpha 2]
17Louisiana153,407
18Indiana147,178
19Alabama144,317[4]
XWest Virginia [5]136,808
20Rhode Island83,059
21Mississippi75,448
22Delaware72,749
XMissouri66,586
23Illinois55,211
XDistrict of Columbia [6]23,336
XArkansas14,273
XMichigan7,452
XWisconsin1,444

Notes

  1. Printed as 422,813 in the 1820 report, but later corrected.[3]
  2. Printed as 235,764 in the 1820 report, but later corrected.[3]

City rankings

RankCityStatePopulation[7][8]Region (2016)[9]
01New YorkNew York123,706Northeast
02BaltimoreMaryland78,444 South
03PhiladelphiaPennsylvania63,802Northeast
04BostonMassachusetts43,298Northeast
05New OrleansLouisiana27,176South
06CharlestonSouth Carolina24,780South
07Northern LibertiesPennsylvania19,678Northeast
08SouthwarkPennsylvania14,713Northeast
09WashingtonDistrict of Columbia13,247South
10SalemMassachusetts12,731Northeast
11AlbanyNew York12,630Northeast
12RichmondVirginia12,067South
13ProvidenceRhode Island11,767Northeast
14CincinnatiOhio9,642Midwest
15PortlandMaine8,581Northeast
16NorfolkVirginia8,478South
17AlexandriaDistrict of Columbia8,218South
18SavannahGeorgia7,523South
19GeorgetownDistrict of Columbia7,360South
20PortsmouthNew Hampshire7,327Northeast
21NewportRhode Island7,319Northeast
22NantucketMassachusetts7,266Northeast
23PittsburghPennsylvania7,248Northeast
24BrooklynNew York7,175Northeast
25New HavenConnecticut7,147Northeast
26KensingtonPennsylvania7,118Northeast
27NewburyportMassachusetts6,852Northeast
28PetersburgVirginia6,690South
29LancasterPennsylvania6,633Northeast
30CharlestownMassachusetts6,591Northeast
31NewarkNew Jersey6,507Northeast
32GloucesterMassachusetts6,384Northeast
33MarbleheadMassachusetts5,630Northeast
34HudsonNew York5,310Northeast
35LexingtonKentucky5,279South
36WilmingtonDelaware5,268South
37TroyNew York5,264Northeast
38HartfordConnecticut4,726Northeast
39MiddleboroughMassachusetts4,687Northeast
40SmithfieldRhode Island4,678Northeast
41GrotonConnecticut4,664Northeast
42TauntonMassachusetts4,520Northeast
43LynnMassachusetts4,515Northeast
44MiddletownNew Jersey4,369Northeast
45PlymouthMassachusetts4,348Northeast
46ReadingPennsylvania4,332Northeast
47BeverlyMassachusetts4,283Northeast
48WoodbridgeNew Jersey4,226Northeast
49Deep RiverConnecticut4,165Northeast
50FairfieldConnecticut4,151Northeast
51RoxburyMassachusetts4,135Northeast
52LymeConnecticut4,069Northeast
53LouisvilleKentucky4,012South
54EveshamNew Jersey3,977Northeast
55New BedfordMassachusetts3,947Northeast
56TrentonNew Jersey3,942Northeast
57SchenectadyNew York3,939Northeast
58SpringfieldMassachusetts3,914Northeast
59AndoverMassachusetts3,889Northeast
60DanburyConnecticut3,873Northeast
61GreenwichConnecticut3,790Northeast
62GilmantonNew Hampshire3,752Northeast
63South KingstownRhode Island3,723Northeast
64New BernNorth Carolina3,663South
65FrederickMaryland3,640South
66YorkPennsylvania3,545Northeast
67FayettevilleNorth Carolina3,532South
68ElizabethNew Jersey3,515Northeast
69Spring GardenPennsylvania3,498Northeast
70South AmboyNew Jersey3,406Northeast
71East HartfordConnecticut3,375Northeast
72New LondonConnecticut3,330Northeast
73BristolRhode Island3,197Northeast
74East HamptonConnecticut3,159Northeast
75CoventryRhode Island3,139Northeast
76LondonderryNew Hampshire3,127Northeast
77GlastonburyConnecticut3,114Northeast
78Franklin, Somerset CountyNew Jersey3,071Northeast
79HaverhillMassachusetts3,070Northeast
80FarmingtonConnecticut3,042Northeast
81GranbyConnecticut3,012Northeast
82NorwalkConnecticut3,004Northeast
83HarrisburgPennsylvania2,990Northeast
84NorwichConnecticut2,983Northeast
85UticaNew York2,972Northeast
86WorcesterMassachusetts2,962Northeast
87CarlislePennsylvania2,908Northeast
88BerlinConnecticut2,877Northeast
89NassauNew York2,873Northeast
90DoverNew Hampshire2,871Northeast
91ConcordNew Hampshire2,838Northeast
92OrangeNew Jersey2,830Northeast
93PittsfieldMassachusetts2,768Northeast
94RaleighNorth Carolina2,674South
95HagerstownMaryland2,670South
96CumberlandRhode Island2,653Northeast
97PiscatawayNew Jersey2,648Northeast
98WilmingtonNorth Carolina2,633South
99MiddletownConnecticut2,618Northeast
100HackensackNew Jersey2,592Northeast

References

  1. "Missouri historical review. v.32 1937-38". HathiTrust. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. State included territory of future state of West Virginia, so including total population.
  3. 1 2 "Population, 1870-1790, in each State and Territory, by Counties, in Aggregate, and as White, Free Colored, Slave, Chinese, and Indian" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau.
  4. Forstall, Richard L. (1996). Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990. Washington: U.S. Bureau of the Census, pp. 8–11. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. Retrieved 19 May 2021. Due to the late arrival of returns from the counties of Lawrence, Perry, and Washington, the population of the state was incorrectly listed as 127,901 in the official state total.[subnote 1]
  5. Between 1790 and 1860, the state of West Virginia was part of Virginia; the data presented here reflects the present-day boundary and is also included in the total population of Virginia.
  6. The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the Residence Act of 1790. The territory that formed that federal capital was originally donated by both Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was returned by Congress in 1846.
  7. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
  8. "Population of Connecticut Towns 1756-1820". Connecticut Secretary of the State. State of Connecticut. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  9. "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.

Notes on references

  1. The relevant note on p. 10 erroneously switches the population values for Perry and Washington counties. The correct values can be found on page 121 of the final census report for 1820.
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