Section #5 - Statistical Tables

Residences

As the newly independent America starts up, its population of yeoman farmers stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Allegheny Mountains, with only a few pioneers crossing into western Virginia. According to U. Washington Professor Douglass North, a mere 200,000 people, or 5% of nation’s 3.9 million total, are living in small towns, none of which number 40,000 residents.

10.0 The U.S. in 1790

Living on farms	3,700,000	95%
Living in towns	200,000	5
Total Population	3,900,000	100%

Over the next 70 years this early landscape undergoes profound changes driven by the growth of urban centers which function as central marketplaces for economic development. Small towns along major transportation routes soon begin to morph into large cities, with New York and its nearby neighbors leading the way.

10.1 Ten Largest U.S. Cities: 1790 and 1820 (Census)

1790	Pop.	1820	Pop.
New York	33,131	New York	123,706
Philadelphia	28,522	Philadelphia	63,802
Boston	18,320	Baltimore	62,738
Charleston	16,345	Boston	43,298
Baltimore	13,503	New Orleans	21,176
No. Philadelphia	9,913	Charleston	24,780
Salem	7,921	No Philadelphia	19,678
Newport	6,716	So Philadelphia	14,713
Providence	6,380	Washington DC	13,247
Marblehead	5,661	Salem	12,731
Ave	14,641		39,987

As the U.S. population and a diverse economy boom, so too do the largest cities, including some in the Midwest. In the South, only New Orleans qualifies as a mega urban center.

10.2 Ten Largest U.S. Cities: 1840 to 1860 (Census)

1840	Pop.	1850	Pop.	1860	Pop.
New York	312,710	New York	515,547	New York	813,669
Baltimore	102,313	Baltimore	169,054	Philadelphia	565,529
New Orleans	102,193	Boston	136,881	Brooklyn	266,661
Philadelphia	93,665	Philadelphia	121,376	Baltimore	212,418
Boston	93,383	New Orleans	116,375	Boston	177,840
Cincinnati	46,338	Cincinnati	115,435	New Orleans	168,675
Brooklyn	36,233	Brooklyn	96,838	Cincinnati	161,044
No Philadelphia	34,474	St. Louis	77,860	St. Louis	160,773
Albany	33,721	So Philadelphia	58,894	Chicago	112,172
Charleston SC	29,261	Albany	50,763	Buffalo	81,129
	88,429		145,902		271,991

Despite the growing urbanization, 4 out of every 5 Americans still live on farms as of 1860.

10.3 Where American Call Home

	1820	1830	1840	1850	1860
On a Farm	92.8%	91.2	89.2%	84.7%	80.2%
In a Town/City	7.2	8.8	10.8	15.3	19.8
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

However, it is the Northeast region that signals a coming shift from the farms and into the cities. The impetus here is the diversification of its economy, including jobs in manufacturing and service industries along with those for upscale white-collar workers.

10.4 Percent of Residents Living In Urban Centers (Census)

	1820	1830	1840	1850	1860
Northeast	11.0%	14.2%	18.5%	26.5%	35.8%
Midwest	1.5	2.6	3.9	9.2	13.9
South	4.6	5.3	6.7	8.3	9.6

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