1820 United States census explained

1820 United States census
Country:United States
Population:9,638,454
Percent Change: 33.1%
Region Type:state
Most Populous:New York
1,532,881
Least Populous:Illinois
55,211
Authority:Office of the United States Marshal
Previous Census:1810 United States census
Previous Year:1810
Next Census:1830 United States census
Next Year:1830

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 Thirdly, in this census and the 14 subsequent ones, New York was the most populous state until being superseded by California in the 1970 census.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

Rank State Population
01 New York 1,532,981
02 Virginia [2] 1,075,069
03 Pennsylvania 1,049,458
04 North Carolina 638,829
05 Ohio 581,434
06 Kentucky 564,317
07 Massachusetts 523,287
08 South Carolina 502,741
09 Tennessee 422,823
10 Maryland 407,350
11 Georgia 340,989
12 Maine 298,335
13 New Jersey 277,575
14 Connecticut 275,202
15 New Hampshire 244,161
16 Vermont 235,981
17 Louisiana 153,407
18 Indiana 147,178
19 Alabama 144,317
X West Virginia [3] 136,808
20 Rhode Island 83,059
21 Mississippi 75,448
22 Delaware 72,749
X Missouri 66,586
23 Illinois 55,211
X District of Columbia [4] 23,336
X Arkansas 14,273
X Michigan 7,452
X Wisconsin 1,444

Notes

City rankings

Rank City State Population[5] Region (2016)[6]
01 123,706 Northeast
02 63,802 Northeast
03 62,738South
04 43,298 Northeast
05 27,176 South
06 24,780 South
07 19,678 Northeast
08 14,713 Northeast
09 13,247 South
10 12,731 Northeast
11 12,630 Northeast
12 12,067 South
13 11,767 Northeast
14 9,642 Midwest
15 8,581 Northeast
16 8,478 South
17 8,218 South
18 7,523 South
19 7,360 South
20 7,327 Northeast
21 7,319 Northeast
22 7,266 Northeast
23 7,248 Northeast
24 7,175 Northeast
25 7,147 Northeast
26 7,118 Northeast
27 6,852 Northeast
28 6,690 South
29 6,633 Northeast
30 6,591 Northeast
31 6,507 Northeast
32 6,384 Northeast
33 5,630 Northeast
34 5,310 Northeast
35 5,279 South
36 5,268
37 5,264 Northeast
38 4,726 Northeast
39 4,687 Northeast
40 4,678 Northeast
41 4,664 Northeast
42 4,520 Northeast
43 4,515 Northeast
44 4,369 Northeast
45 4,348 Northeast
46 4,332 Northeast
47 4,283 Northeast
48 4,226 Northeast
49 4,165 Northeast
50 4,151 Northeast
51 4,135 Northeast
52 4,069 Northeast
53 4,012 South
54 3,977 Northeast
55 3,947 Northeast
56 3,942 Northeast
57 3,939 Northeast
58 3,914 Northeast
59 3,889 Northeast
60 3,873 Northeast
61 3,790 Northeast
62 3,752 Northeast
63 3,723 Northeast
64 3,663 South
65 3,640 South
66 3,545 Northeast
67 3,532 South
68 3,515 Northeast
69 3,498 Northeast
70 3,406 Northeast
71 3,375 Northeast
72 3,330 Northeast
73 3,197 Northeast
74 3,159 Northeast
75 3,139 Northeast
76 3,127 Northeast
77 3,114 Northeast
78 3,071 Northeast
79 3,070 Northeast
80 3,042 Northeast
81 3,012 Northeast
82 3,004 Northeast
83 2,990 Northeast
84 2,983 Northeast
85 2,972 Northeast
86 2,962 Northeast
87 2,908 Northeast
88 2,877 Northeast
89 2,873 Northeast
90 2,871 Northeast
91 2,838 Northeast
92 2,830 Northeast
93 2,768 Northeast
94 2,674 South
95 2,670 South
96 2,653 Northeast
97 2,648 Northeast
98 2,633 South
99 2,618 Northeast
100 2,592 Northeast-101 2,572 Northeast -->

References

Notes on references

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Missouri historical review. v.32 1937-38. . December 13, 2023 . HathiTrust . en.
  2. State included territory of future state of West Virginia, so including total population.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Web site: Population of Connecticut Towns 1756-1820. Connecticut Secretary of the State. State of Connecticut. April 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20170113205538/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392394. January 13, 2017. dead.
  6. Web site: Regions and Divisions . U.S. Census Bureau . September 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html . December 3, 2016 . dead .