1830 United States census
The 1830 United States census, the fifth census undertaken in the United States, was conducted on June 1, 1830. The only loss of census records for 1830 involved some countywide losses in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Mississippi.
| 1830 United States census | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
 Seal of the United States Marshals Service, which administered the Census | ||
| General information | ||
| Country | United States | |
| Authority | Office of the United States Marshal | |
| Results | ||
| Total population | 12,866,020 ( 33.5%) | |
| Most populous | New York 1,918,608 | |
| Least populous | Delaware 76,748 | |
It determined the population of the 24 states to be 12,866,020, of which 2,009,043 were slaves. The center of population was about 170 miles (274 km) west of Washington, D.C. in present-day Grant County, West Virginia.
This was the first census in which a city—New York—recorded a population of over 200,000.
Census questions
The 1830 census asked these questions:[1]
- Name of head of family
- Address
- Number of free white males and females
- in five-year age groups to age 20
- in 10-year age groups from 20 to 100
- 100 years and older
- number of slaves and free colored persons in six age groups
- number of deaf and dumb
- under 14 years old
- 14 to 24 years old
- 25 years and older
- number of blind
- foreigners not naturalized
Data availability
No microdata from the 1830 population census are available, but aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.
State rankings
| Rank | State | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | New York | 1,918,608 |
| 02 | Pennsylvania | 1,348,233 |
| 03 | Virginia [2] | 1,220,978 |
| 04 | Ohio | 937,903 |
| 05 | North Carolina | 737,987 |
| 06 | Kentucky | 687,917 |
| 07 | Tennessee | 681,904 |
| 08 | Massachusetts | 610,408 |
| 09 | South Carolina | 581,185 |
| 10 | Georgia | 516,823 |
| 11 | Maryland | 447,040 |
| 12 | Maine | 399,455 |
| 13 | Indiana | 343,031 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 320,823 |
| 15 | Alabama | 309,527 |
| 16 | Connecticut | 297,675 |
| 17 | Vermont | 280,652 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 269,328 |
| 19 | Louisiana | 215,739 |
| X | West Virginia [3] | 176,924 |
| 20 | Illinois | 157,445 |
| 21 | Missouri | 140,455 |
| 22 | Mississippi | 136,621 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 97,199 |
| 24 | Delaware | 76,748 |
| X | Florida | 34,730 |
| X | Arkansas | 30,388 |
| X | District of Columbia [4] | 30,261 |
| X | Michigan | 28,004 |
| X | Wisconsin | 3,635 |
Apportionment Populations[5]
In the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 states:
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.[6]
In order to correctly apportion Representatives pursuant to this Census, it was necessary for the Census to compute not only the total population of each state, but the number of free persons and slaves, and then to compute the apportionment population, or Federal number, for each state (and territory) by adding three-fifths of the slave population to the free population. (This was computed by county, so the totals for each state may be off by as many as 1.2 persons due to rounding.)
| State | Total | Free | Slave | Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 399437 | 399431 | 6 | 399434 |
| New Hampshire | 269328 | 269323 | 5 | 269326 |
| Massachusetts | 610408 | 610404 | 4 | 610406 |
| Rhode Island | 97199 | 97185 | 14 | 97193 |
| Connecticut | 297675 | 297650 | 25 | 297665 |
| Vermont | 280657 | 280657 | 280657 | |
| New York | 1918608 | 1918532 | 76 | 1918577 |
| New Jersey | 320823 | 318569 | 2254 | 319922 |
| Pennsylvania | 1348233 | 1347830 | 403 | 1348072 |
| Delaware | 76748 | 73456 | 3292 | 75431 |
| Maryland | 447040 | 344046 | 102994 | 405842 |
| Virginia | 1211405 | 741648 | 469757 | 1023502 |
| North Carolina | 737987 | 492386 | 245601 | 639747 |
| South Carolina | 581185 | 265784 | 315401 | 455025 |
| Georgia | 516823 | 299292 | 217531 | 429810 |
| Kentucky | 687917 | 522704 | 165213 | 621832 |
| Tennessee | 681903 | 540300 | 141603 | 625263 |
| Ohio | 935884 | 935878 | 6 | 935882 |
| Louisiana | 215739 | 106151 | 109588 | 171904 |
| Indiana | 343031 | 343028 | 3 | 343030 |
| Mississippi | 136621 | 70962 | 65659 | 110358 |
| Illinois | 157445 | 156698 | 747 | 157147 |
| Alabama | 309527 | 191978 | 117549 | 262508 |
| Missouri | 140455 | 115364 | 25091 | 130419 |
| Territory of Michigan | 31639 | 31607 | 32 | 31625 |
| Territory of Arkansas | 30388 | 25812 | 4576 | 28557 |
| Territory of Florida | 34730 | 19229 | 15501 | 28529 |
| District of Columbia | 39834 | 33715 | 6119 | 37389 |
City rankings
References
- "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925". New York State Library. October 1981. pp. 43 (p.49 of PDF).
- Total Virginia population represented here, including future state of West Virginia.
- Between 1790 and 1860, the state of West Virginia was part of Virginia; the data presented here reflects the present-day boundary.
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau. "1830 Census: Abstract of the returns of the Fifth Census".
- "The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription". National Archives and Records Administration. November 4, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
- "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.