Largest cities in the United States by population by decade

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1 1 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM Largest cities in the United States by population by decade From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This entry tracks and ranks the population of the largest cities in the United States by decade, starting with the 1790 Census. For 1790 through 1990, tables are taken from "Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990." [1] For year 2000 rankings, data from the Census Bureau's tally of "Cities with 100,000 or More Population Ranked by Selected Subject" is used. [2] For further research on year 2000 urban population, the County and City Data Book might be instructive. [3] Contents Estimates 24 References 25 External links 1790 By 1790, New York had overtaken Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States, a rank it continues to hold to this day. The source population numbers for this list come from the first United States Census Bureau. [4]

2 2 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1 New York New York 33,131 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 28,522 3 Boston Massachusetts 18,320 4 Charleston South Carolina 16,359 5 Baltimore Maryland 13,503 6 Northern Liberties Township Pennsylvania 9,913 7 Salem Massachusetts 7,921 New York City has remained the largest city in the United States since the census began. Like many big American cities, it expanded its borders multiple times during the 19th century. [1] Philadelphia has remained on the top 10 list of largest cities throughout its history. Existed as a township at the time. Now an independent city. Township now absorbed in Philadelphia. See Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 8 Newport Rhode Island 6,716 Listed as a town in 1790 census. Presently a city. 9 Providence Rhode Island 6,380 Listed as a town in 1790 census. Now a city. 10 Marblehead Massachusetts 5,661 Still a town as of District of Southwark Pennsylvania 5,661 Before 1854 Act of Consolidation, Southwark was an independent municipality; it is now a neighborhood in South Philadelphia Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau. [5] 1 New York New York 60,515 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 41,220 3 Baltimore Maryland 26,514 4 Boston Massachusetts 24,937 5 Charleston 6 Northern Liberties 7 District of Southwark South Carolina Pennsylvania 18,824 Pennsylvania 9,621 10,718 Now a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Before 1854 Act of Consolidation, Southwark was an independent municipality; it is now a neighborhood in South Philadelphia.

3 3 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 8 Salem Massachusetts 9,457 Listed as a town. 9 Providence Rhode Island 7, Norfolk Virginia 6,926 Listed as a borough; now an independent city A list of the 46 largest cities from the 1810 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information. [6] 1 New York New York 96,373 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 53,722 3 Baltimore Maryland 46,555 4 Boston Massachusetts 33,787 5 Charleston 6 Northern Liberties South Carolina Pennsylvania 24,711 19,874 7 New Orleans Louisiana 17,242 8 District of Southwark Pennsylvania 13,707 Listed as a district; now a neighborhood of Philadelphia. First entry on the top 10 list of largest cities not located in one of the original 13 colonies Before 1854 Act of Consolidation, Southwark was an independent municipality; it is now a neighborhood in South Philadelphia. 9 Salem Massachusetts 12,613 Listed as a town. Today, Salem is a city. 10 Albany New York 10, A list of the 61 largest cities from the 1820 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information. [7] 1 New York New York 123,706 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 63,802 3 Baltimore Maryland 62,738 4 Boston Massachusetts 43,298 New York was the first city to surpass 100,000 people in population.

4 4 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 5 New Orleans Louisiana 27,176 6 Charleston South Carolina 24,780 7 Northern Liberties Pennsylvania 19,678 8 Southwark Pennsylvania 14,713 9 Washington District of Columbia 13, Salem Massachusetts 12,731 Listed as a district; now a neighborhood of Philadelphia. Before 1854 Act of Consolidation, Southwark was an independent municipality; it is now a neighborhood in South Philadelphia. Washington is the capital of the United States; under the United States Constitution, it is forbidden to be part of any state. Listed as a town in 1820 census; Salem is a city today Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau. [8] 1 New York New York 202,589 2 Baltimore Maryland 80,620 Baltimore is the second city to rank number two. 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 80,462 4 Boston Massachusetts 61,392 5 New Orleans Louisiana 46,082 6 Charleston 7 Northern Liberties South Carolina Pennsylvania 30,289 28,872 Now a neighborhood in Philadelphia. 8 Cincinnati Ohio 24,831 Listed as a town. 9 Albany New York 24, District of Southwark Pennsylvania 20,581 Before 1854 Act of Consolidation, Southwark was an independent municipality; it is now a neighborhood in South Philadelphia Source data for population is available from the Census Bureau. [9]

5 5 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1 New York New York 312,710 2 Baltimore Maryland 102,313 3 New Orleans Louisiana 102,193 4 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 93,665 5 Boston Massachusetts 93,383 6 Cincinnati Ohio 46,338 Listed as a town. 7 Brooklyn New York 36,233 8 Northern Liberties Pennsylvania 9 Albany New York 33, Charleston South Carolina Baltimore is likely the second city to surpass the 100,000 population mark. New Orleans' rapid growth shows the increasing importance of Mississippi River trade. Brooklyn would cease to be a city in its own right in It is now a borough of New York City. 34,474 Now a neighborhood in Philadelphia. 29,261 Charleston actually lost population between the 1830 and 1840 censuses By 1850, the United States was in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution. A list of the hundred largest cities from the 1850 census is available from the Census Bureau and the source of this information. [10] 1 New York New York 515,547 2 Baltimore Maryland 169,054 3 Boston Massachusetts 136,881 4 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 121,376 5 New Orleans Louisiana 116,375 6 Cincinnati Ohio 115,435 7 Brooklyn New York 96,838 8 St. Louis Missouri 77,860 9 District of Spring Garden Pennsylvania 10 Albany New York 50,763 Brooklyn would cease to be a city in its own right in It is now a borough of New York City. 58,894 Now a neighborhood of Philadelphia. 1860

6 6 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1860 was the eve of the American Civil War. A list of the hundred largest cities is available from the Census Bureau. [11] This was the eighth United States Census. 1 New York New York 813,669 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 565,529 3 Brooklyn New York 266,661 4 Baltimore Maryland 212,418 5 Boston Massachusetts 177,840 6 New Orleans Louisiana 168,675 7 Cincinnati Ohio 161,044 8 St. Louis Missouri 160,773 9 Chicago Illinois 112, Buffalo New York 81,129 The large jump in population during the period from the seventh to eighth census counts is due to the 1854 Act of Consolidation, which merged the County and City of Philadelphia into a single government entity and abolished all other local governments. Brooklyn would cease to be a city in its own right in It is now a borough of New York City. The population of Chicago jumped drastically between the 1850 and 1860 censuses. In the 1850 Census, Chicago was ranked 24th largest city with a population of 29, A list of the hundred largest cities is available from the Census Bureau. [12] This was the ninth United States Census. 1 New York New York 942,292 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 674,022 3 Brooklyn New York 396,099 4 St. Louis Missouri 310,864 5 Chicago Illinois 298,977 6 Baltimore Maryland 267,354 7 Boston Massachusetts 250,526 8 Cincinnati Ohio 216,239

7 7 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 9 New Orleans 10 San Francisco Louisiana 191,418 California 149,473 The top ten's first West Coast city, its population boom beginning after 1848 with the Gold Rush and continuing with silver discoveries such as the Comstock Lode in The Census bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in the United States during this year. [13] 1 New York New York 1,206,299 2 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 847,170 3 Brooklyn New York 566,663 4 Chicago Illinois 503,185 5 Boston Massachusetts 362,839 6 St. Louis Missouri 350,518 7 Baltimore Maryland 332,313 8 Cincinnati Ohio 255,139 9 San Francisco California 233, New Orleans Louisiana 216,090 This marks the first time the population of a U.S. city exceeds 1 million The 1890 Census was the Eleventh. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [14] 1 New York New York 1,515,301 2 Chicago Illinois 1,099,850 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,046,964 This is the last census before New York City was consolidated into The Five Boroughs. At this point, the city is coterminus with New York County (the Borough of Manhattan), which included what is now Bronx County (the Borough of The Bronx).

8 8 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 4 Brooklyn New York 806,343 5 St. Louis Missouri 451,770 6 Boston Massachusetts 448,477 7 Baltimore Maryland 434,439 8 San Francisco California 298,997 9 Cincinnati Ohio 296, Cleveland Ohio 261,353 This is the last census where the City of Brooklyn is independent of New York City. Interestingly, if Brooklyn were to be its own city today, it would still make the top five list and New York City would still be in the number one slot The 1900 Census was the Twelfth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [15] 1 New York New York 3,437,202 2 Chicago Illinois 1,698,575 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,293,697 4 St. Louis Missouri 575,238 5 Boston Massachusetts 560,892 6 Baltimore Maryland 508,957 7 Cleveland Ohio 381,768 8 Buffalo New York 352,387 9 San Francisco California 342, Cincinnati Ohio 325,902 This is the first census after the creation of The Five Boroughs The 1910 Census was the Thirteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [16]

9 9 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1 New York New York 4,766,883 2 Chicago Illinois 2,185,283 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,549,008 4 St. Louis Missouri 687,029 5 Boston Massachusetts 670,585 6 Cleveland Ohio 560,663 7 Baltimore Maryland 558,485 8 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 533,905 9 Detroit Michigan 465, Buffalo New York 423,715 Much of the population of New York City was in Manhattan, more or less the part of the city that was New York City until 1898, at this time. However, the other boroughs began to grow rapidly as the Interborough Rapid Transit system and other mass transit franchises built what is today the New York Subway. Pittsburgh entered the Top 10 after annexing the neighboring city of Allegheny in This is now the city's North Side The 1920 Census was the Fourteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [17] Rank City State Population Land Area (sq. miles) Density People/Sq. mile 1 New York New York 5,620, ,796 2 Chicago Illinois 2,701, ,013 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,823, ,248 4 Detroit Michigan 993, ,748 5 Cleveland Ohio 796, ,128 6 St. Louis Missouri 772, ,670 7 Boston Massachusetts 748, ,197 8 Baltimore Maryland 733, ,289 otes The rise of the automobile industry in the Detroit area propelled its growth substantially between 1910 and 1920, doubling its population in only 10 years.

10 10 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 9 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 588, , Los Angeles California 576, ,577 By the 1920s, Los Angeles was already showing signs of its automobile-centric future. It is far less dense than any other city listed here The 1930 Census was the Fifteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [18] Rank City State Population Land Area (sq. miles) Density People/Sq. mile otes 1 New York New York 6,930, ,179 2 Chicago Illinois 3,376, ,723 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,950, ,242 4 Detroit Michigan 1,568, ,375 5 Los Angeles California 1,238, ,812 6 Cleveland Ohio 900, ,718 7 St. Louis Missouri 821, ,475 8 Baltimore Maryland 804, ,227 9 Boston Massachusetts 781, , Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 669, , The 1940 Census was the Sixteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [19] Rank City State Population Land Area (sq. miles) Density People/Sq. mile otes 1 New York New York 7,457, ,933 2 Chicago Illinois 3,396, ,434 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,931, ,182 4 Detroit Michigan 1,623, ,773 5 Los Angeles California 1,504, ,356 6 Cleveland Ohio 878, ,016

11 11 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 7 Baltimore Maryland 859, St. Louis Missouri 816, ,378 9 Boston Massachusetts 770, , Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 671, , was a watershed year for many cities in the United States. Many cities in the country peaked in population, and began a slow decline caused by suburbanization, increased crime rates, and so-called white flight. Of the cities listed below, most have declined in population since New York and Los Angeles are exceptions. The source document for these numbers is available from the United States Census Bureau. [20] 1 New York New York 7,891,957 2 Chicago Illinois 3,620,962 3 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 2,071,605 4 Los Angeles California 1,970,358 5 Detroit Michigan 1,849,568 The Census Bureau wouldn't record a population larger than this for New York City until By 2000, the number would exceed eight million people. Chicago also peaked in population this year, and has never fully recovered. See Demographics of Chicago. Population peaked this year; has never recovered fully. Los Angeles is one of the few cities to enjoy nearly continuous growth since As of 2006, Detroit is the only city in the United States to have a population grow beyond 1 million and then fall below 1 million. 6 Baltimore Maryland 949,708 Population peaked this year. 7 Cleveland Ohio 914,808 Population peaked this year. 8 St. Louis Missouri 856,796 9 Washington District of Columbia 802,178 This is the highest population recorded for St. Louis. This is the highest population recorded for Washington, DC. 10 Boston Massachusetts 801,444 Population peaked this year The 1960 Census was the Eighteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [21]

12 12 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM Rank City State Population Land Area (sq. miles) Density People/Sq. mile 1 New York New York 7,781, ,697 2 Chicago Illinois 3,550, ,836 3 Los Angeles California 2,479, ,451 4 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 2,002, ,743 5 Detroit Michigan 1,670, ,964 6 Baltimore Maryland 939, ,886 7 Houston Texas 938, ,860 8 Cleveland Ohio 876, Washington District of Columbia 763, , St. Louis Missouri 750, ,296 otes First appearance in top The 1970 Census was the Nineteenth. The Census Bureau provides a list of the 100 largest cities in that year. [22] Rank City State Population Land Area (sq. miles) Density People/Sq. mile 1 New York New York 7,894, ,343 2 Chicago Illinois 3,366, ,126 3 Los Angeles California 2,816, ,073 4 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,948, ,164 5 Detroit Michigan 1,511, ,953 6 Houston Texas 1,232, ,841 7 Baltimore Maryland 905, ,568 otes This is a peak population for New York City that would not be surpassed until the 2000 Census. 8 Dallas Texas 844, ,179 First appearance in top Washington District of Columbia 756, ,321

13 13 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 10 Cleveland Ohio 750, ,893 Cleveland is notably smaller by population and larger by area, and therefore less dense, than it was in By 1980, the trends towards suburbanization started in the 1950s continued. Population shifts towards the west and south began. [23] For a more complete ranking, see the source material from the Census Bureau. [24] 1 New York New York 7,071,639 2 Chicago Illinois 3,005,072 3 Los Angeles California 2,966,850 4 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,688,210 5 Houston Texas 1,595,138 6 Detroit Michigan 1,203,339 7 Dallas Texas 904,078 This year marks a historic drop in population for New York City. 1970s numbers will not be exceeded again until the year This is the last year Chicago was the second largest city in the United States. Sometime soon after 1980, Los Angeles surpassed Chicago in population. 8 San Diego California 875,538 First appearance in top Phoenix Arizona 789,704 First appearance in top Baltimore Maryland 786,775 This is the last year Baltimore made the top 10 list. This was the most recent occurrence of a city ranked in the top 10 of the initial 1790 Census to drop out of it altogether By 1990, trends had continued that started during the 1970s. Northeastern cities generally lost population, and western and southwestern cities began to grow in size. [25] Most western and southwestern cities were at an advantage because they had much larger municipal boundaries than older northern cities. -

14 14 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1 New York New York 7,322,564 2 Los Angeles California 3,485,398 3 Chicago Illinois 2,783,726 4 Houston Texas 1,630,553 5 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,585,577 6 San Diego California 1,110,549 7 Detroit Michigan 1,027,974 8 Dallas Texas 1,006,877 9 Phoenix Arizona 983,403 The City of New York, notably, gained a little more population during the 1980s after heavy losses in the 1970s. 10 San Antonio Texas 935,933 First appearance in top The 2000 census was the most detailed to date. The Census Bureau provides a list of all cities with populations over 100,000. [26][27] Rank City State Population Density People/Sq. mile 1 New York New York 8,008,278 26, Los Angeles California 3,694,820 7, Chicago Illinois 2,896,016 12, Houston Texas 1,953,631 3, Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,517,550 11, Phoenix Arizona 1,321,045 2, San Diego California 1,223,400 3, Dallas Texas 1,188,580 3, San Antonio Texas 1,144,646 2, Detroit Michigan 951,270 6,853.5 otes Chicago regained a little population since 1990, according to the enumeration, but is still well below its 1950 peak. Estimated to have dropped out of top 10 by 2005, its population exceeded by San Jose Estimates

15 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 global cities of all types with three "alpha" global cities: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

The ten largest cities, based on the United States Census Bureau's 2006 estimates [2], are as follows: Rank 1 2 City New York City, New York Los Angeles, California 3 Chicago, Illinois Population

15 15 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 global cities of all types with three "alpha" global cities: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The figures expressed below are for populations within city limits. A different ranking is evident when considering U.S. metro area populations, although the top three would be unchanged. The ten largest cities, based on the United States Census Bureau's 2006 estimates [2], are as follows: Rank 1 2 City New York City, New York Los Angeles, California 3 Chicago, Illinois Population within city limits Population Density per sq mi Metropolitan Area millions rank Region 8,250,567 26, Northeast 3,849,378 7, West 2,833,321 12, Midwest 4 Houston, Texas 2,144,491 3, South 5 Phoenix, Arizona 6 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 7 8 San Antonio, Texas San Diego, California 1,512,986 2, West 1,448,394 11, Northeast 1,296,682 2, South 1,256,951 3, West 9 Dallas, Texas 1,232,940 3, South 10 San Jose, California 929,936 5, West New York City Los Angeles Chicago Houston For a more extensive list of present population estimates see List of United States cities by population. References ^ Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, Chapter 8: "Suburbs Into Neighborhoods: The Rise and Fall of Municipal Annexation." ^ "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2006 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 ( /SUB-EST csv) " (CSV) Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division ( ). Retrieved on

16 16 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM 1. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 ( " 2. ^ "Cities with 100,000 or More Population Ranked by Selected Subject ( /ccdb/cityrank.htm) " 3. ^ County and City Data Book ( 4. ^ "Population of the 24 Urban Places: 1790 ( /twps0027/tab02.txt) " 5. ^ "Population of the 33 Urban Places: 1800 ( /twps0027/tab03.txt) " 6. ^ "Population of the 46 Urban Places: 1810 ( /twps0027/tab04.txt) " 7. ^ "Population of the 61 Urban Places: 1820 ( /twps0027/tab05.txt) " 8. ^ "Population of the 90 Urban Places: 1830 ( /twps0027/tab06.txt) " 9. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1840 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab07.txt) " 10. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1850 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab08.txt) " 11. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1860 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab09.txt) " 12. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1870 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab10.txt) " 13. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1880 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab11.txt) " 14. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1890 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab12.txt) " 15. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1900 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab13.txt) " 16. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1910 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab14.txt) " 17. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1920 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt) " 18. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1930 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab16.txt) " 19. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1940 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab17.txt) " 20. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1950 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab18.txt) " 21. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1960 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab19.txt) " 22. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1970 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab20.txt) " 23. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1980 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab21.txt) " 24. ^ "Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1990 ( /www/documentation/twps0027/tab22.txt) " 25. ^ "Cities with 100,000 or More Population in 2000 ranked by Population, 2000 in Rank Order ( " 26. ^ "Cities with 100,000 or More Population in 2000 ranked by Population per Square Mile, 2000 in Rank Order ( "

17 17 of 17 11/15/2008 7:30 AM External links United States, ( discusses population size from 1780 to 1789 Retrieved from " Categories: Decennial federal censuses of the United States Lists of cities in the United States Lists of cities by population This page was last modified on 6 November 2008, at 01:14. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

Census Affects Children in Poverty by Professors Donald Hernandez and Nancy Denton State University of New York, Albany

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