1860 United States Census


The United States Census of 1860 was the eighth Census conducted in the United States starting June 1, 1860, and lasting five months. It determined the population of the United States to be 31,443,322, in 33 states and 10 organized territories. This was an increase of 35.4 percent over the 23,191,876 persons enumerated during the 1850 Census. The total population included 3,953,762 slaves.
By the time the 1860 census returns were ready for tabulation, the nation was sinking into the American Civil War. As a result, Census Superintendent Joseph C. G. Kennedy and his staff produced only an abbreviated set of public reports, without graphic or cartographic representations. The statistics did allow the Census staff to produce a cartographic display, including preparing maps of Southern states, for Union field commanders. These maps displayed militarily vital topics, including the white population, slave population, predominant agricultural products, and rail and post road transportation routes.
This census saw Philadelphia regain its position as a second-most populous American city, which it had lost to Baltimore in 1820, due to the Act of Consolidation, 1854 merging many smaller surrounding townships, such as Spring Garden, Northern Liberties, and Kensington, into the main city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia would in turn permanently lose the position to Chicago in 1890.

Census questions

The 1860 census Schedule 1 was one of two schedules that counted the population of the United States; the other was Schedule 2. Schedule 1 collected the following information:
ColumnTitleNotes
1Dwelling-houses – numbered in the order of visitation.
2Families numbered in the order of visitation
3The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first date of June 1860, was in this family.
4Description: Age.
5Description: Sex.M or F
6Description: Color,.W, B or M
7Profession, Occupation, or Trade of each person, male and female, over 15 years of age.
8Value of Estate Owned: Value of Real Estate.
9Value of Estate Owned: Value of Personal Estate.
10Place of Birth, Naming the State, Territory, or Country.
11Married within the year.Marked with '/'
12Attended School within the year.Marked with '/'
13Persons over 20 years of age who can not read and write.Marked with '/'
14Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.

Data availability

Full documentation for the 1860 population census, including microdata, census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

Common occupations

National data reveals that farmers made up nearly 10% of utilized occupations. Farm laborers represent the next highest percent with 3.2%, followed by general laborers at 3.0%.
More localized data shows that other occupations were common. In the town of Essex, Massachusetts, a large section of the women in the labor force were devoted to shoe-binding, while for men the common occupations were farming and shoe-making. This heavy demand of shoe-related labor reinforces the high demand for rigorous physical laborers in the economy, as supported by the data of very large amounts of farm related work as compared to most other labor options.
IPUMS' data also notes that the share of the population that had been enrolled in school or marked as "Student" stood at 0.2%. This demonstrates a small rate of growth, if any, in the proficiency of the human capital of the time—the skill set a worker has to apply to the labor force, which can increase total output through increased efficiency.
The census of 1860 was the last in which much of Southern wealth was held as slaves—still legally considered property. Analogous to today where wealth can fluctuate with value changes in stocks, factories, and other forms of property, the South suffered a huge loss of total wealth and assets when the American Civil War ended and slaves were no longer counted as physical property.

Population of US States and Territories

RankStatePopulationFree PopulationSlave PopulationPercentage Enslaved
01New York3,880,7353,880,73500
02Pennsylvania2,906,2152,906,21500
03Ohio2,339,5112,339,51100
04Illinois1,711,9511,711,95100
05Virginia1,596,3181,105,453490,86530.7
06Indiana1,350,4281,350,42800
07Massachusetts1,231,0661,231,06600
08Missouri1,182,0121,067,081114,9319.7
09Kentucky1,155,684930,201225,48319.5
10Tennessee1,109,801834,082275,71924.8
11Georgia1,057,286595,088462,19843.7
12North Carolina992,622661,563331,05933.4
13Alabama964,201529,121435,08045.1
14Mississippi791,305354,674436,63155.2
15Wisconsin775,881775,88100
16Michigan749,113749,11300
17Louisiana708,002376,276331,72646.9
18South Carolina703,708301,302402,40657.2
19Maryland687,049599,86087,18912.7
20Iowa674,913674,91300
21New Jersey672,035672,035160.01
22Maine628,279628,27900
23Texas604,215421,649182,56630.2
24Connecticut460,147460,14700
25Arkansas435,450324,335111,11525.5
26California379,994379,99400
27New Hampshire326,064326,07300
28Vermont315,098315,09800
29Rhode Island174,620174,62000
30Minnesota172,023172,02300
31Florida140,42478,67961,74544.0
32Delaware112,216110,4181,7981.6
33Oregon52,46552,46500
XKansas Territory107,206107,20420.01
XNew Mexico Territory93,51493,5140-
XDistrict of Columbia75,08071,9853,1854.4
XUtah Territory40,27340,184890.01
XColorado Territory34,27734,27700
XNebraska Territory28,84128,826150.01
XWashington Territory11,59411,59400
XNevada Territory6,8486,85700
XDakota Territory4,8374,83700

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