List of largest cities of U.S. states and territories by historical population
This is a list of the largest cities in each U.S. state and territory by historical population, as enumerated every decade by the United States Census, starting with the 1790 Census. Data for the tables below is drawn from U.S. Census Bureau reports. For the 1990 Census and earlier, the primary resource is the 2005 Working Paper number POP-WP076.[1] Post-1990 data, as well as data for territories, is drawn from the respective year's Census. Some locales may have pre-existed their first appearance in the U.S. Census, but such values are not included here, unless otherwise noted.
Total population counts for the Censuses of 1790 through 1860 include both free and enslaved persons. Native Americans were not identified in the Census of 1790 through 1840 and only sporadically from 1850 until 1890 if they lived outside of Indian Territory or off reservations. Beginning with the 1900 census, Native Americans were fully enumerated along with the general population.[2] Shaded areas of the tables indicate census years when a territory or the part of another state had not yet been admitted as a new state.[lower-alpha 1]
1790–1840
1840–1880
1890–1930
1940–1980
1990–2020
See also
Notes
- As the Federal District, the District of Columbia is not shaded.
- In 1846, Alexandria County, including the city of Alexandria, was retroceded to Virginia.
- Territory of Orleans
- Between 1790 and 1820, the District of Maine was part of the state of Massachusetts.
- Prior to 1874, New York City consisted only of the island of Manhattan.
- No city-level data for North Carolina reported in 1810.
- Before 1854, Philadelphia refers to the modern-day Center City section of the city.
- Part of the Territory of New Mexico
- In 1871, Georgetown, Washington City, and Washington County, D.C. were unified.
- The only incorporated place in Hawaii is the City & County of Honolulu. The U.S. Census Bureau defines Honolulu CDP (census-designated place) as coincident with the Honolulu District, the portion of the city and county sometimes regarded as the "city" for statistical purposes.
- From the 1878 Census by the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.[3]
- In 1875, West Bronx was annexed to New York City.
- From 1861–1889, part of the Dakota Territory
- The 1854 Act of Consolidation greatly increased Philadelphia's population by consolidating the city with Philadelphia County.
- Prior to 1863, West Virginia was part of Virginia.
- From the 1890 Census by the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.[3]
- In 1899, the modern New York City was formed when the five boroughs were consolidated into a single city.
- The 1890 and 1900 columns reflect the largest settlement in the Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory, which were combined when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.
- Combined total for Guthrie, East Guthrie, and West Guthrie, as reported in the 1940 U.S. Census.
- This territory no longer exists.
- From the 1899 Puerto Rico census.
- From the 1917 Census of the Virgin Islands of the United States
- From 1921 to 1936, Charlotte Amalie was known as St. Thomas City
- In 1957, Miami and Dade County consolidated.
- In 1968, Jacksonville consolidated with Duval County.
- On January 1, 1970, Indianapolis and Marion County consolidated under a single governance structure.
- In 1952, residents voted to change the town's name from Silver City to Rainbow City
- In 1974, the city of Lexington merged with Fayette County, becoming a consolidated city-county.
- In 2003, the city of Louisville merged with Jefferson County, becoming a consolidated city-county and substantially increasing the city's population.
References
- Gibson, Campbell; Jung, Kay (February 2005). Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990, and by Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States (Technical report). Suitland, Maryland: U.S. Census Bureau. POP-WP076.
- "American Indians in the Federal Decennial Census, 1790-1930". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- "Population of Hawaii by Islands and Districts" (PDF). Census Bulletin (15): 4. November 16, 1900. Retrieved May 10, 2022.