1820 United States census

The United States Census of 1820 was the fourth Census conducted in the United States. It was conducted on August 7, 1820. The 1820 Census included six new states: Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama and Maine. There has been a district wide loss of 1820 Census records for Arkansas Territory, Missouri Territory and New Jersey, however.

The total population was determined to be 9,638,453, of which 1,538,022 were slaves. The center of population was about 120 miles (193 km) west-northwest of Washington in Hardy County, Virginia (now in West Virginia).

Data Collected

The 1820 census contains a great deal more information than previous censuses. Enumerators listed the following data in columns, left to right:

1. Name of the head of family
2. # of free white males under age 10
3. # of free white males age 10-16
4. # of free white males age 16-18
5. # of free white males age 16-26
6. # of free white males age 26-45
7. # of free white males age 45 and up
8. # of free white females under age 10
9. # of free white females age 10-16
10. # of free white females age 16-26
11. # of free white females age 26-45
12. # of free white females age 45 and up
13. # of foreigners not naturalized
14. # of persons engaged in agriculture
15. # of persons engaged in commerce
16. # of persons engaged in manufacture
17. # of male slaves under 14
18. # of male slaves age 14-26
19. # of male slaves age 26-45
20. # of male slaves age 45 and up
21. # of female slaves under 14
22. # of female slaves age 14-26
23. # of female slaves age 26-45
24. # of female slaves age 45 and up
25. # of free male colored persons under 14
26. # of free male colored persons age 14-26
27. # of free male colored persons age 26-45
28. # of free male colored persons age 45 and up
29. # of free female colored persons under 14
30. # of free female colored persons age 14-26
31. # of free female colored persons age 26-45
32. # of free female colored persons age 45 and up
33. # of all other persons except Indians not taxed

Several of these columns were for special counts, and not to be included in the aggregate total. Doing so would have resulted in counting some individuals twice. Census takers were asked to use double lines, red ink or some other method of distinguishing these columns so that double counting would not occur. For example, the count of free white males between 16 and 18 was a special count, because these individuals were also supposed to be tabulated in the column for free white males of age 16 and under 26.

The other special counts were foreigners not naturalized, persons engaged in agriculture, persons engaged in commerce, and persons engaged in manufacture.

Census takers were also instructed to count each individual in only one of the occupational columns. For example, if an individual was engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufacture, the census taker had to judge which one the individual was primarily engaged in.

Note to Researchers

Censustaking was not yet an exact science. Before 1830, enumerators lacked pre-printed forms, and drew up their own, sometimes resulting in pages without headings, line tallies, or column totals. As a result, census records for many towns before 1830 are idiosyncratic. This is not to suggest that they are less reliable than subsequent censuses, but that they may require more work on the part of the researcher.

State rankings

Rank	State	Population
01	New York	1,372,812
02	Pennsylvania	1,049,458
03	Virginia	938,261
04	North Carolina	638,829
05	Ohio	581,434
06	Kentucky	564,317
07	Massachusetts	523,287
08	South Carolina	502,741
09	Tennessee	422,813
10	Maryland	407,350
11	Georgia	340,989
12	Maine	298,335
13	New Jersey	277,575
14	Connecticut	275,202
15	New Hampshire	244,161
16	Vermont	235,764
17	Louisiana	153,407
18	Indiana	147,178
19	Alabama	127,901
20	Rhode Island	83,059
21	Mississippi	75,448
22	Delaware	72,749
23	Illinois	55,211

City rankings

Rank	City	State	Population	Region (2016)
01	New York	New York	123,706	Northeast
02	Baltimore	Maryland	78,444	South
03	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	63,802	Northeast
04	Boston	Massachusetts	43,298	Northeast
05	New Orleans	Louisiana	27,176	South
06	Charleston	South Carolina	24,780	South
07	Northern Liberties	Pennsylvania	19,678	Northeast
08	Southwark	Pennsylvania	14,713	Northeast
09	Washington	District of Columbia	13,247	South
10	Salem	Massachusetts	12,731	Northeast
11	Albany	New York	12,630	Northeast
12	Richmond	Virginia	12,067	South
13	Providence	Rhode Island	11,767	Northeast
14	Cincinnati	Ohio	9,642	Midwest
15	Portland	Maine	8,581	Northeast
16	Norfolk	Virginia	8,478	South
17	Alexandria	District of Columbia	8,218	South
18	Savannah	Georgia	7,523	South
19	Georgetown	District of Columbia	7,360	South
20	Portsmouth	New Hampshire	7,327	Northeast
21	Newport	Rhode Island	7,319	Northeast
22	Nantucket	Massachusetts	7,266	Northeast
23	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	7,248	Northeast
24	Brooklyn	New York	7,175	Northeast
25	New Haven	Connecticut	7,147	Northeast
26	Kensington	Pennsylvania	7,118	Northeast
27	Newburyport	Massachusetts	6,852	Northeast
28	Petersburg	Virginia	6,690	South
29	Lancaster	Pennsylvania	6,633	Northeast
30	Charlestown	Massachusetts	6,591	Northeast
31	Gloucester	Massachusetts	6,384	Northeast
32	Marblehead	Massachusetts	5,630	Northeast
33	Hudson	New York	5,310	Northeast
34	Lexington	Kentucky	5,279	South
35	Troy	New York	5,264	Northeast
36	Hartford	Connecticut	4,726	Northeast
37	Middleborough	Massachusetts	4,687	Northeast
38	Taunton	Massachusetts	4,520	Northeast
39	Lynn	Massachusetts	4,515	Northeast
40	Plymouth	Massachusetts	4,348	Northeast
41	Reading	Pennsylvania	4,332	Northeast
42	Beverly	Massachusetts	4,283	Northeast
43	Roxbury	Massachusetts	4,135	Northeast
44	Louisville	Kentucky	4,012	South
45	New Bedford	Massachusetts	3,947	Northeast
46	Trenton	New Jersey	3,942	Northeast
47	Schenectady	New York	3,939	Northeast
48	New Bern	North Carolina	3,663	South
49	Frederick	Maryland	3,640	South
50	York	Pennsylvania	3,545	Northeast
51	Fayetteville	North Carolina	3,532	South
52	Elizabeth	New Jersey	3,515	Northeast
53	Spring Garden	Pennsylvania	3,498	Northeast
54	New London	Connecticut	3,330	Northeast
55	Harrisburg	Pennsylvania	2,990	Northeast
56	Norwich	Connecticut	2,983	Northeast
57	Utica	New York	2,972	Northeast
58	Carlisle	Pennsylvania	2,908	Northeast
59	Raleigh	North Carolina	2,674	South
60	Hagerstown	Maryland	2,670	South
61	Wilmington	North Carolina	2,633	South
62	Middletown	Connecticut	2,618	Northeast

Further reading

• Historic US Census data