1790 United States Census


The United States Census of 1790 was the first census of the whole United States. It recorded the population of the United States as of Census Day, August 2, 1790, as mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution and applicable laws. In the first census, the population of the United States was enumerated to be 3,929,214.
Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of United States judicial districts under an act which, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census taking until the 1840 census. "The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in 'two of the most public places within , there to remain for the inspection of all concerned...' and that 'the aggregate amount of each description of persons' for every district be transmitted to the president."

Contemporary perception

Both Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and President George Washington expressed skepticism over the results, believing that the true population had been undercounted. If there was indeed an undercount, possible explanations for it include dispersed population, poor transportation links, limitations of contemporary technology, and individual refusal to participate.

Loss of data

Although the Census was proved statistically factual, based on data collected, the records for several states were lost sometime between 1790 and 1830. Almost one third of the original census data have been lost or destroyed since their original documentation. These include some 1790 data from: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont; however, the validity and existence of most of these data can be confirmed in many secondary sources pertaining to the first census.

Data availability

No microdata from the 1790 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.

Data

Census data included the name of the head of the family and categorized inhabitants as follows: free white males at least 16 years of age, free white males under 16 years of age, free white females, all other free persons, and enslaved people. Under the direction of the current Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, marshals collected data from all thirteen states, and from the Southwest Territory. The census was not conducted in Vermont until 1791, after that state's admission to the Union as the 14th state on March 4 of that year.
At 17.8 percent, the 1790 Census's proportion of enslaved to the free population was the highest ever recorded by any census of the United States.
StateFree white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of familiesFree white males under 16 yearsFree white females, including heads of familiesAll other free personsEnslaved personsEnslaved % of state populationTotal% of US population
Vermont22,43522,32840,50525516nil85,5392.2%
New Hampshire36,08634,85170,1606301580.1%141,8853.6%
Maine24,38424,74846,8705380nil96,5402.5%
Massachusetts95,45387,289190,5825,4630nil378,7879.7%
Rhode Island16,01915,79932,6523,4079481.4%68,8251.5%
Connecticut60,52354,403117,4482,8082,7641.2%237,9466.1%
New York83,70078,122152,3204,65421,3246.3%340,1208.7%
New Jersey45,25141,41683,2872,76211,4236.2%184,1394.7%
Pennsylvania110,788106,948206,3636,5373,7370.9%434,37311.2%
Delaware11,78312,14322,3843,8998,88715.0%59,0941.5%
Maryland55,91551,339101,3958,043103,03632.2%319,7288.2%
Virginia110,936116,135215,04612,866292,62739.1%747,61019.2%
Kentucky15,15417,05728,92211412,43016.9%73,6771.9%
North Carolina69,98877,506140,7104,975100,57225.5%393,75110.1%
South Carolina35,57637,72266,8801,801107,09443.0%249,0736.4%
Georgia13,10314,04425,73939829,26435.5%82,5482.1%
Total807,094791,8501,541,26359,150694,28017.8%3,893,63599.9%

City rankings

RankCityStatePopulationRegion Population
01New YorkNew York33,131Northeast1,585,873
02PhiladelphiaPennsylvania28,522Northeast135,872
03BostonMassachusetts18,320Northeast617,594
04CharlestonSouth Carolina16,359South120,083
05BaltimoreMaryland13,503South620,961
06NorwalkConnecticut11,942Northeast85,603
07Northern LibertiesPennsylvania9,913NortheastN/A
08SalemMassachusetts7,921Northeast41,340
09NewportRhode Island6,716Northeast24,672
10ProvidenceRhode Island6,380Northeast178,042
11MarbleheadMassachusetts5,661Northeast19,808
12SouthwarkPennsylvania5,661NortheastN/A
13GloucesterMassachusetts5,317Northeast28,789
14NewburyportMassachusetts4,837Northeast17,416
15PortsmouthNew Hampshire4,720Northeast21,233
16SherburneMassachusetts4,555Northeast10,172
17MiddleboroughMassachusetts4,526Northeast23,116
18New HavenConnecticut4,487Northeast129,779
19South KingstownRhode Island4,131Northeast30,639
20TauntonMassachusetts3,804Northeast55,874
21LancasterPennsylvania3,762Northeast59,322
22RichmondVirginia3,761South204,214
23AlbanyNew York3,498Northeast97,856
24New BedfordMassachusetts3,313Northeast95,072
25BeverlyMassachusetts3,290Northeast39,502
26SmithfieldRhode Island3,171Northeast21,430
27DanburyConnecticut3,031Northeast80,893
28PlymouthMassachusetts2,995Northeast56,468
29NorfolkVirginia2,959South242,803
30North KingstownRhode Island2,907Northeast26,486
31AndoverMassachusetts2,863Northeast33,201
32RochesterNew Hampshire2,857Northeast29,752
33PetersburgVirginia2,828South32,420
34AlexandriaVirginia2,748South139,966
35FarmingtonConnecticut2,696Northeast25,340
36HartfordConnecticut2,683Northeast124,775
37LondonderryNew Hampshire2,622Northeast24,129
38GilmantonNew Hampshire2,613Northeast3,777
39HudsonNew York2,584Northeast6,713