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1900 United States census

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}

{{Short description|12th US national census}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}

{{Infobox census

| name = Twelfth census of the United States

| logo = DeptInterior1882seal.png

| logo_caption = Seal of the Department of the Interior

| image = 1900 census Kershaw Lindauer.gif

| image_size = 200

| image_caption = Population schedule from the 1900 census

| country = United States

| region_type = state

| date = June 1, 1900

| population = 76,212,168

| percent_change = {{increase}} 21.01%

| most_populous = New York
7,268,894

| least_populous = Nevada
42,335

| authority = Census Office

| previous_census = 1890 United States census

| previous_year = 1890

| next_census = 1910 United States census

| next_year = 1910

}}

The 1900 United States census, conducted by the Census Office on June 1, 1900,[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1900.html "1900 Overview"], History, US Census Bureau determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.01% from the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 census. It was the last census to be conducted before the founding of the permanent United States Census Bureau.

The census saw the nation's largest city, New York City, more than double in size due to the consolidation with Brooklyn, becoming in the process the first U.S. city to record a population growth of over three million — Brooklyn was previously the 4th largest city in the United States on its own.

Oversight of the statistics was by Frederick Howard Wines and Walter F. Willcox.{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Wesley C. |date=1900 |title=Preparations for the Twelfth Census |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/250680 |journal=Journal of Political Economy |language=en |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=378–384 |doi=10.1086/250680 |issn=0022-3808|url-access=subscription }}

Census questions

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

The 1900 census collected the following information:{{cite web|url=http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/9643270 |title=Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925 |page=45 (p. 51 of PDF) |date=October 1981 |publisher=New York State Library |access-date=December 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130004637/http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/9643270 |archive-date=January 30, 2009 |url-status=live }}

  • address
  • name
  • relationship to head of family
  • sex
  • race (listed as "Color or race" on the census)
  • age, month and year born
  • marital status and, if married, number of years married
  • for women, number of children born and number now living
  • place of birth of person, and their parents
  • if foreign born, year of immigration and whether naturalized
  • occupation
  • months not employed
  • school
  • ability to speak English
  • whether on a farm
  • home owned or rented, and, if owned, whether mortgaged

{{div col end}}

Full documentation for the 1900 census, including census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Statistician Frederick Ludwig Hoffman criticized the conduct of the census.{{Cite journal |last=Hoffman |first=Frederick L. |date=1902 |title=The Vital Statistics of the Census of 1900 [Part 1] |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2276440 |journal=Publications of the American Statistical Association |volume=8 |issue=60 |pages=127–168 |doi=10.2307/2276440 |issn=1522-5437|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Hoffman |first=Frederick L. |date=1902 |title=The Vital Statistics of the Census of 1900 [Part 2] |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2276441 |journal=Publications of the American Statistical Association |volume=8 |issue=60 |pages=168–202 |doi=10.2307/2276441 |issn=1522-5437|url-access=subscription }}

Data availability

The original census enumeration sheets were microfilmed by the Census Bureau in the 1940s, after which the original sheets were destroyed.{{cite web |url=http://aapld.org/adult/genealogy/pdf_handouts/CensusSecrets.pdf |title=Census Secrets |author=Algonquin Area Public Library District |access-date=May 17, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The microfilmed census is available in rolls from the National Archives and Records Administration. Several organizations also host images of the microfilmed census online, and digital indices.

Microdata from the 1900 census are freely available through IPUMS. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

State rankings

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
style="width:40px" style="text-align: center;" | Rank

! style="text-align: center;" | State

! style="text-align: center;" data-sort-type="number" | Population as of
1900 census[https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/volume-1/volume-1-p5.pdf States and territories] census.gov

! style="text-align: center;" data-sort-type="number" | Population as of
1890 census

! style="text-align: center;" data-sort-type="number" | Change

! style="text-align: center;" data-sort-type="number" | Percent
change

1

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|New York|1778|size=23px}}

| 7,268,894

| 6,003,174

| 1,265,720 {{increase}}

| 21.1% {{increase}}

2

| style="text-align: left;" |{{flagicon image|Pennsylvania State Flag 1863 pubdomain.jpg|size=23px}} Pennsylvania

| 6,302,115

| 5,258,113

| 1,044,002 {{increase}}

| 19.9% {{increase}}

3

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Illinois|1915|size=23px}}

| 4,821,550

| 3,826,352

| 995,198 {{increase}}

| 26.0% {{increase}}

4

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Ohio|size=25px}}

| 4,157,545

| 3,672,329

| 485,216 {{increase}}

| 13.2% {{increase}}

5

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Missouri|size=23px}}

| 3,106,665

| 2,679,185

| 427,480 {{increase}}

| 16.0% {{increase}}

6

| style="text-align: left;" |{{flag|Texas}}

| 3,048,710

| 2,235,527

| 813,183 {{increase}}

| 36.4% {{increase}}

7

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Massachusetts|1908|size=23px}}

| 2,805,346

| 2,238,947

| 566,399 {{increase}}

| 25.3% {{increase}}

8

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Indiana|1899|size=23px}}

| 2,516,462

| 2,192,404

| 324,058 {{increase}}

| 14.8% {{increase}}

9

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Michigan|size=23px}}

| 2,420,982

| 2,093,890

| 327,092 {{increase}}

| 15.6% {{increase}}

10

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Iowa|size=23px}}

| 2,231,853

| 1,912,297

| 319,556 {{increase}}

| 16.7% {{increase}}

11

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|1879|name=Georgia|size=23px}}

| 2,216,331

| 1,837,353

| 378,978 {{increase}}

| 20.6% {{increase}}

12

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Kentucky|size=23px}}

| 2,147,174

| 1,858,635

| 288,539 {{increase}}

| 15.5% {{increase}}

13

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Wisconsin|1866|size=23px}}

| 2,069,042

| 1,693,330

| 375,712 {{increase}}

| 22.2% {{increase}}

14

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Tennessee|1897|size=23px}}

| 2,020,616

| 1,767,518

| 253,098 {{increase}}

| 14.3% {{increase}}

15

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|North Carolina|1885|size=23px}}

| 1,893,810

| 1,617,949

| 275,861 {{increase}}

| 17.0% {{increase}}

16

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|New Jersey|1896|size=23px}}

| 1,883,669

| 1,444,933

| 438,736 {{increase}}

| 30.4% {{increase}}

17

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Virginia|1861|size=23px}}

| 1,854,184

| 1,655,980

| 198,204 {{increase}}

| 12.0% {{increase}}

18

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Alabama|size=23px}}

| 1,828,697

| 1,513,401

| 315,296 {{increase}}

| 20.8% {{increase}}

19

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Minnesota|1893|size=23px}}

| 1,751,394

| 1,310,283

| 441,111 {{increase}}

| 33.7% {{increase}}

20

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Mississippi|1894|size=23px}}

| 1,551,270

| 1,289,600

| 261,670 {{increase}}

| 20.3% {{increase}}

21

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flagicon image|Flag of California (1909).png|size=23px}} California

| 1,485,053

| 1,213,398

| 271,655 {{increase}}

| 22.4% {{increase}}

22

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flagicon image|Flag of Kansas (1925–1927).svg|size=23px}} Kansas

| 1,470,495

| 1,428,108

| 42,387 {{increase}}

| 3.0% {{increase}}

23

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Louisiana|1861b|size=23px}}

| 1,381,625

| 1,118,588

| 263,037 {{increase}}

| 23.5% {{increase}}

24

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|South Carolina|1861b|size=23px}}

| 1,340,316

| 1,151,149

| 189,167 {{increase}}

| 16.4% {{increase}}

25

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Arkansas|1913|size=23px}}

| 1,311,564

| 1,128,211

| 183,353 {{increase}}

| 16.3% {{increase}}

26

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Maryland|size=23px}}

| 1,188,044

| 1,042,390

| 145,654 {{increase}}

| 14.0% {{increase}}

27

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Nebraska|size=23px}}

| 1,066,300

| 1,062,656

| 3,644 {{increase}}

| 0.3% {{increase}}

28

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|West Virginia|1905|size=23px}}

| 958,800

| 762,794

| 196,006 {{increase}}

| 25.7% {{increase}}

29

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Connecticut|size=23px}}

| 908,420

| 746,258

| 162,162 {{increase}}

| 21.7% {{increase}}

–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Oklahoma|1911|size=23px}}Including Indian Territory, which was yet to be combined with Oklahoma Territory to form the state of Oklahoma.

| 790,391

| 258,657

| 531,734 {{increase}}

| 205.6% {{increase}}

30

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flagicon image|Flag of Maine (1901–1909).svg|size=23px}} Maine

| 694,466

| 661,086

| 33,380 {{increase}}

| 5.0% {{increase}}

31

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Colorado|1907|size=23px}}

| 539,700

| 413,249

| 126,451 {{increase}}

| 30.6% {{increase}}

32

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Florida|1900|size=23px}}

| 528,542

| 391,422

| 137,120 {{increase}}

| 35.0% {{increase}}

33

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flagicon image|Flag of Washington (1923–1967).png|size=23px}} Washington

| 518,103

| 357,232

| 160,871 {{increase}}

| 45.0% {{increase}}

34

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Rhode Island|size=23px}}

| 428,556

| 345,506

| 83,050 {{increase}}

| 24.0% {{increase}}

35

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Oregon|size=23px}}

| 413,536

| 317,704

| 95,832 {{increase}}

| 30.2% {{increase}}

36

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|New Hampshire|1909|size=23px}}

| 411,588

| 376,530

| 35,058 {{increase}}

| 9.3% {{increase}}

37

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|South Dakota|1909|size=23px}}

| 401,570

| 348,600

| 52,970 {{increase}}

| 15.2% {{increase}}

38

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Vermont|1837|size=23px}}

| 343,641

| 332,422

| 11,219 {{increase}}

| 3.4% {{increase}}

39

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|North Dakota|size=23px}}

| 319,146

| 190,983

| 128,163 {{increase}}

| 67.1% {{increase}}

–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|District of Columbia|size=23px}}

| 278,718

| 230,392

| 48,326 {{increase}}

| 21.0% {{increase}}

40

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Utah|1903|size=23px}}

| 276,749

| 210,779

| 65,970 {{increase}}

| 31.3% {{increase}}

41

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Montana|1905|size=23px}}

| 243,329

| 142,924

| 100,405 {{increase}}

| 70.3% {{increase}}

–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|New Mexico|1912|size=23px}}

| 195,310

| 160,282

| 35,028 {{increase}}

| 21.9% {{increase}}

42

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flagicon image|Flag of Delaware (1913–1953).gif|size=23px}} Delaware

| 184,735

| 168,493

| 16,242 {{increase}}

| 9.6% {{increase}}

43

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Idaho|size=23px}}

| 161,772

| 88,548

| 73,224 {{increase}}

| 82.7% {{increase}}

{{anchor|Hawaii}}–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Hawaii|1896|size=23px}}

| 154,001

| 89,990

| 64,011 {{increase}}

| 71.1% {{increase}}

–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Arizona|size=23px}}

| 122,931

| 88,243

| 34,688 {{increase}}

| 39.3% {{increase}}

44

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Wyoming|size=23px}}

| 92,531

| 62,555

| 29,976 {{increase}}

| 47.9% {{increase}}

–

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Alaska|size=23px}}

| 63,592

| 32,052

| 31,540 {{increase}}

| 98.4% {{increase}}

45

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|Nevada|1905|size=23px}}

| 42,335

| 47,355

| -5,020 {{decrease}}

| -10.6% {{decrease}}

| style="text-align: left;" |{{Flag|United States|1896|size=23px}}

| 76,212,168

| 62,979,766

| 13,232,402 {{increase}}

| 21.0% {{increase}}

City rankings

class="wikitable sortable"

! Rank !! City !! State !! Population{{citation |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |year=1998 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau }} !! Region (2016){{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |title=Regions and Divisions |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |archive-date=December 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

01New YorkNew York3,437,202Northeast
02ChicagoIllinois1,698,575Midwest
03PhiladelphiaPennsylvania1,293,697Northeast
04St. LouisMissouri575,238Midwest
05BostonMassachusetts560,892Northeast
06BaltimoreMaryland508,957South
07ClevelandOhio391,768Midwest
08BuffaloNew York352,387Northeast
09San FranciscoCalifornia342,782West
10CincinnatiOhio325,902Midwest
11PittsburghPennsylvania321,616Northeast
12New OrleansLouisiana287,104South
13DetroitMichigan285,704Midwest
14MilwaukeeWisconsin285,315Midwest
15WashingtonDistrict of Columbia278,718South
16NewarkNew Jersey246,070Northeast
17Jersey CityNew Jersey206,433Northeast
18LouisvilleKentucky204,731South
19MinneapolisMinnesota202,718Midwest
20ProvidenceRhode Island175,597Northeast
21IndianapolisIndiana169,164Midwest
22Kansas CityMissouri163,752Midwest
23Saint PaulMinnesota163,065Midwest
24RochesterNew York162,608Northeast
25DenverColorado133,859West
26ToledoOhio131,822Midwest
27AlleghenyPennsylvania129,896Northeast
28ColumbusOhio125,560Midwest
29WorcesterMassachusetts118,421Northeast
30SyracuseNew York108,374Northeast
31New HavenConnecticut108,027Northeast
32PatersonNew Jersey105,171Northeast
33Fall RiverMassachusetts104,863Northeast
34St. JosephMissouri102,979Midwest
35OmahaNebraska102,555Midwest
36Los AngelesCalifornia102,479West
37MemphisTennessee102,320South
38ScrantonPennsylvania102,026Northeast
39LowellMassachusetts94,969Northeast
40AlbanyNew York94,151Northeast
41CambridgeMassachusetts91,886Northeast
42PortlandOregon90,426West
43AtlantaGeorgia89,872South
44Grand RapidsMichigan87,565Midwest
45DaytonOhio85,333Midwest
46RichmondVirginia85,050South
47NashvilleTennessee80,865South
48SeattleWashington80,671West
49HartfordConnecticut79,850Northeast
50ReadingPennsylvania78,961Northeast
51WilmingtonDelaware76,508South
52CamdenNew Jersey75,935Northeast
53TrentonNew Jersey73,307Northeast
54BridgeportConnecticut70,996Northeast
55LynnMassachusetts68,513Northeast
56OaklandCalifornia66,960West
57LawrenceMassachusetts62,559Northeast
58New BedfordMassachusetts62,442Northeast
59Des MoinesIowa62,139Midwest
60SpringfieldMassachusetts62,059Northeast
61SomervilleMassachusetts61,643Northeast
62TroyNew York60,651Northeast
63HobokenNew Jersey59,364Northeast
64EvansvilleIndiana59,007Midwest
65ManchesterNew Hampshire56,987Northeast
66UticaNew York56,383Northeast
67PeoriaIllinois56,100Midwest
68CharlestonSouth Carolina55,807South
69SavannahGeorgia54,244South
70Salt Lake CityUtah53,531West
71San AntonioTexas53,321South
72DuluthMinnesota52,969Midwest
73EriePennsylvania52,733Northeast
74ElizabethNew Jersey52,130Northeast
75Wilkes-BarrePennsylvania51,721Northeast
76Kansas CityKansas51,418Midwest
77HarrisburgPennsylvania50,167Northeast
78PortlandMaine50,145Northeast
79YonkersNew York47,931Northeast
80NorfolkVirginia46,624South
81WaterburyConnecticut45,859Northeast
82HolyokeMassachusetts45,712Northeast
83Fort WayneIndiana45,115Midwest
84YoungstownOhio44,885Midwest
85HoustonTexas44,633South
86CovingtonKentucky42,938South
87AkronOhio42,728Midwest
88DallasTexas42,638South
89SaginawMichigan42,345Midwest
90LancasterPennsylvania41,459Northeast
91LincolnNebraska40,169Midwest
92BrocktonMassachusetts40,063Northeast
93BinghamtonNew York39,647Northeast
94AugustaGeorgia39,441South
95PawtucketRhode Island39,231Northeast
96AltoonaPennsylvania38,973Northeast
97WheelingWest Virginia38,878South
98MobileAlabama38,469South
99BirminghamAlabama38,415South
100Little RockArkansas38,307South

Locations of 50 most populous cities

{{United States Cities Labeled Map 1900 Large}}

{{clear}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • [http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1901-02.pdf 1901 U.S. Census Report] (contains 1900 census results)
  • [https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html Historic US Census data]
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20200717185528/https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/PopulationofStatesandCountiesoftheUnitedStates1790-1990.pdf

{{USCensus}}

{{Authority control}}

United States Census, 1900

Category:United States census

United States