1870 United States census

Ninth US census March 2019 May 2024 1870 United States census Old Department of the Interior seal.gif Seal of the Department of the Interior File:1870 census Lindauer Weber 02.gif A page of the 1870 United States census from the state of New York. United States 1870 06 01 38,925,598 22.6% state New York4,382,759 Nevada42,941 Census Office 1860 United States census 1860 1880 United States census 1880 Francis Amasa Walker The 1870 United States census was the ninth United States census. It was conducted by the Census Office from June 1, 1870, to August 23, 1871. The 1870 census was the first census to provide detailed information on the African American population, only five years after the culmination of the Civil War when slaves were granted freedom. The total population was 38,925,598 with a resident population of 38,558,371 individuals, a 22.6% increase from 1860.https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/fast_facts/1870_fast_facts.html 1870 Fast Facts – History Census History Staff U.S. Census Bureau EN-US April 28, 2019 The 1870 census's population estimate was controversial, as many believed it underestimated the true population numbers, especially in New York and Pennsylvania.Munroe, James Phinney (1923) A Life of Francis Amasa Walker, Holt, p. 111 Conditions for the work were therefore so adverse that the new superintendent (Walker), with characteristic frankness, repudiated in many instances the results of the Census, denouncing them as false or misleading and pointing out the plain reasons. p. 113 When the appointments of enumerators were made in 1870 the entire lot was taken from the Republican party, and most of those in the South were negroes. Some of the negroes could not read or write, and the enumeration of the Southern population was done very badly. My judgement was that the census of 1870 erred as to the colored population between 350,000 and 400,000 This was the first census in which all 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 10,000. This was also the last federal census conducted using the US Marshal Service as enumerators. Census Act of 1850 The Census Act of 1850 established the primary machinery of the ninth census. The Census Office, working within the Department of the Interior, oversaw the recording and tabulation of results gathered by assistant marshals, who were hired and supervised by federal marshals. Two new structural changes during the 1870 census occurred: marshals had to return the completed population questionnaire to the Census Office in September, and penalties for refusing to reply to enumerator questions were extended to encompass every question on the questionnaires. Census organization The commonly past-used slave questionnaires were redesigned to reflect the American society after the Civil War. The five schedules for the 1870 census were the following: General Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics. The general population saw a 22.6% increase to 38,555,983 individuals in 1870. Charges of an undercount, however, were brought against Francis Amasa Walker, the Superintendent of the 1870 census. Mortality rates in 1870, in general, decreased as a fraction of the total population by <0.1% from 1860 and by 0.1% from 1850. The lower death rates indicate that the standard of living increased, due to some exogenous factor, over the period of twenty years from 1850 to 1870.February 2020 In terms of products of industry, total U.S. wealth increased by 17.3% from 1860 to 1870, to reach an assessed wealth of $14,178,986,732. The four largest state contributors to this wealth were New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, in that order. Most of the wealth was concentrated in the developed Northeast region, as newer territories like Wyoming were beginning to develop their young economies. The 1870 census was the first of its kind to record the nativity of the American population. This social statistic helped determine which areas were more highly composed of immigrants than native-born Americans. New York City had the most foreign-born individuals, with 419,094 foreigners, who comprised 44.5% of the city's total population. Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco also had a great population of foreigners that made up a significant fraction of their total populations. Therefore, a great ethnic and cultural change was witnessed from 1860 to 1870, as part of the population growth was due to immigrants moving in and a shuffling of residents across state borders. Census results +Population results of the 1870 censusTrue populationTotal United States38,925,598States only38,205,598Territories720,000Constitutional/resident population*Total United States38,558,371States only**38,115,641Territories442,730White populationTotal United States33,589,377States only33,203,128Territories386,249Black populationTotal United States4,880,009States only4,835,106Territories44,903Indian (Native American) population (on reservations)Total United States357,981States only89,957Territories268,024Indian (Native American) population (not on reservations)Total United States25,731States only21,228Territories4,503Chinese populationTotal United States63,199States only56,124Territories7,075Japanese populationTotal United States55States only55Territories0 https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1872/dec/1870e.html 1870 Census: A Compendium of the Ninth Census (June 1, 1870) www.census.gov EN-US April 29, 2019 *The constitutional population excludes the populations of Native Americans "maintaining their tribal relations and living upon Government reservations" and "the newly acquired district of Alaska." **When considering congressional apportionment, the total state population of the Constitutional population was used. Census questions Schedule 1 of the 1870 census collected the following information:https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1870-census.pdf 1870 Federal Census Schedule 1 Form National Archives Dwelling-houses numbered in the order of Visitation Families numbered in the order of visitation Names Age Sex Color Profession Value of Real Estate Value of Personal Estate Place of Birth (State, Territory, Country) Father's Birthplace* Mother's Birthplace* If born within the year, state month If married within the year, state month Attended School within the Year (Y/N) Cannot Read (Y/N) Cannot Write (Y/N) Deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict Male Citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age or upwards Male Citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards where rights to vote is denied on grounds other than rebellion or other crime**1870 Enumerator Instructions (to Assistant Marshals) IPUMS USA https://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/inst1870.shtml August 27, 2019 *If born in another country **This question asked if one's right to vote is being denied due to a legal matter other than rebellion or conviction. Such circumstances included being unable to pay poll taxes, or being unable to pass a literacy test. Full documentation for the 1870 population census, including census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Population undercount January 2015 Although Francis Walker, the Superintendent of the 1870 census, defended the quality of the census, arguing that standardized, clear, and statistical approaches and practices were carried out across all regions of the United States, the public at the time was disappointed in the national growth rate and suspected underenumeration. With especially bitter complaints coming from New York and Philadelphia claiming up to a third of the population was not counted, the President made the rare move to order a recount in those areas. While it was thought a large fraction of the population was not counted for being indoors in the wintry cold, newer estimates resulted in only a 2.5% increase in Philadelphia's population and a 2% increase in New York's. This controversy of the 1870 undercount resurfaced in 1890, when the national growth rate between 1880 and 1890 was discovered to be much lower than it was between 1870 and 1880. Critics then asserted that the 1870 population must have been underenumerated by over 1.2 million people to account for the discrepancy between growth rates; it was presumed that the growth rate in 1880 had to be exaggerated because of the 1870 undercount. Despite the fact that modern investigations have yet to quantify the exact effect of the undercount, most modern social scientists do not believe the undercount was as severe as 1890 investigators assumed. Today most analyzers compare the 1870 undercount to the non-response rates seen in most modern census data. State rankings Rank State/Territory Population 01 New York 4,382,759 02 Pennsylvania 3,521,951 03 Ohio 2,665,260 04 Illinois 2,539,891 05 Missouri 1,721,295 06 Indiana 1,680,637 07 Massachusetts 1,457,351 08 Kentucky 1,321,011 09 Tennessee 1,258,520 10 Virginia 1,225,163 11 Iowa 1,194,020 12 Georgia 1,184,109 13 Michigan 1,184,059 14 North Carolina 1,071,361 15 Wisconsin 1,054,670 16 Alabama 996,992 17 New Jersey 906,096 18 Mississippi 827,922 19 Texas 818,579 20 Maryland 780,894 21 Louisiana 726,915 22 South Carolina 705,606 23 Maine 626,915 24 California 560,247 25 Connecticut 537,454 26 Arkansas 484,471 27 West Virginia 442,014 28 Minnesota 439,706 29 Kansas 364,399 30 Vermont 330,551 31 New Hampshire 318,300 32 Rhode Island 217,353 33 Florida 187,748 X District of ColumbiaThe District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the Residence Act of 1790. 131,700 34 Delaware 125,015 35 Nebraska 122,993 X New Mexico 91,874 36 Oregon 90,923 X Utah 86,336 37 Nevada 42,941Includes a population of 450 for Rio Virgin County, which was located in Nevada but enumerated as part of Utah in the 1870 census. X Colorado 39,864 X Washington 23,955 X Montana 20,595 X Idaho 14,999 X South Dakota 11,776 X Arizona 9,658 X Wyoming 9,118 X North Dakota 2,405 Notes note City rankings Rank City State PopulationPopulation of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 1998 https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html U.S. Census Bureau Region (2016)https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html Regions and Divisions U.S. Census Bureau September 9, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html December 3, 2016 dead 01 New York New York 942,292 Northeast 02 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 674,022 Northeast 03 Brooklyn New York 396,099 Northeast 04 St. Louis Missouri 310,864 Midwest 05 Chicago Illinois 298,977 Midwest 06 Baltimore Maryland 267,354 South 07 Boston Massachusetts 250,526 Northeast 08 Cincinnati Ohio 216,239 Midwest 09 New Orleans Louisiana 191,418 South 10 San Francisco California 149,473 West 11 Buffalo New York 117,714 Northeast 12 Washington District of Columbia 109,199 South 13 Newark New Jersey 105,059 Northeast 14 Louisville Kentucky 100,753 South 15 Cleveland Ohio 92,829 Midwest 16 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 86,076 Northeast 17 Jersey City New Jersey 82,546 Northeast 18 Detroit Michigan 79,577 Midwest 19 Milwaukee Wisconsin 71,440 Midwest 20 Albany New York 69,422 Northeast 21 Providence Rhode Island 68,904 Northeast 22 Rochester New York 62,386 Northeast 23 Allegheny Pennsylvania 53,180 Northeast 24 Richmond Virginia 51,038 South 25 New Haven Connecticut 50,840 Northeast 26 Charleston South Carolina 48,956 South 27 Indianapolis Indiana 48,244 Midwest 28 Troy New York 46,465 Northeast 29 Syracuse New York 43,051 Northeast 30 Worcester Massachusetts 41,105 Northeast 31 Lowell Massachusetts 40,928 Northeast 32 Memphis Tennessee 40,226 South 33 Cambridge Massachusetts 39,634 Northeast 34 Hartford Connecticut 37,180 Northeast 35 Scranton Pennsylvania 35,092 Northeast 36 Reading Pennsylvania 33,930 Northeast 37 Paterson New Jersey 33,579 Northeast 38 Kansas City Missouri 32,260 Midwest 39 Mobile Alabama 32,034 South 40 Toledo Ohio 31,584 Midwest 41 Portland Maine 31,413 Northeast 42 Columbus Ohio 31,274 Midwest 43 Wilmington Delaware 30,841 South 44 Dayton Ohio 30,473 Midwest 45 Lawrence Massachusetts 28,921 Northeast 46 Utica New York 28,804 Northeast 47 Charlestown Massachusetts 28,323 Northeast 48 Savannah Georgia 28,235 South 49 Lynn Massachusetts 28,233 Northeast 50 Fall River Massachusetts 26,766 Northeast 51 Springfield Massachusetts 26,703 Northeast 52 Nashville Tennessee 25,865 South 53 Covington Kentucky 24,505 South 54 Salem Massachusetts 24,117 Northeast 55 Quincy Illinois 24,052 Midwest 56 Manchester New Hampshire 23,536 Northeast 57 Harrisburg Pennsylvania 23,104 Northeast 58 Trenton New Jersey 22,874 Northeast 59 Peoria Illinois 22,849 Midwest 60 Evansville Indiana 21,830 Midwest 61 Atlanta Georgia 21,789 South 62 New Bedford Massachusetts 21,320 Northeast 63 Oswego New York 20,910 Northeast 64 Elizabeth New Jersey 20,832 Northeast 65 North Providence Rhode Island 20,495 Northeast 66 Hoboken New Jersey 20,297 Northeast 67 Lancaster Pennsylvania 20,233 Northeast 68 Poughkeepsie New York 20,080 Northeast 69 Camden New Jersey 20,045 Northeast 70 Davenport Iowa 20,038 Midwest 71 Saint Paul Minnesota 20,030 Midwest 72 Erie Pennsylvania 19,646 Northeast 73 St. Joseph Missouri 19,565 Midwest 74 Wheeling West Virginia 19,280 South 75 Norfolk Virginia 19,229 South 76 Bridgeport Connecticut 18,969 Northeast 77 Petersburg Virginia 18,950 South 78 Taunton Massachusetts 18,629 Northeast 79 Chelsea Massachusetts 18,547 Northeast 80 Dubuque Iowa 18,434 Midwest 81 Bangor Maine 18,289 Northeast 82 Leavenworth Kansas 17,873 Midwest 83 Fort Wayne Indiana 17,718 Midwest 84 Springfield Illinois 17,364 Midwest 85 Auburn New York 17,225 Northeast 86 Newburgh New York 17,014 Northeast 87 Norwich Connecticut 16,653 Northeast 88 Grand Rapids Michigan 16,507 Midwest 89 Sacramento California 16,283 West 90 Terre Haute Indiana 16,103 Midwest 91 Omaha Nebraska 16,083 Midwest 92 Williamsport Pennsylvania 16,030 Northeast 93 Elmira New York 15,863 Northeast 94 New Albany Indiana 15,396 Midwest 95 Augusta Georgia 15,389 South 95 Gloucester Massachusetts 15,389 Northeast 97 Cohoes New York 15,357 Northeast 98 Newport Kentucky 15,087 South 99 New Brunswick New Jersey 15,058 Northeast 100 Burlington Iowa 14,930 Midwest References Hacker J. David Ruggles Steven Foroughi Andrea R. Jarvis Brad D. Sargent Walter L. Public Use Microdata Samples of the 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses of Population https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/4_1860-70rev.shtml Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History Informa UK Limited 32 3 1999 0161-5440 10.1080/01615449909598933 125–133 subscription Census of Population and Housing – Publications U.S. Census Bureau https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html August 27, 2019 Tech Paper 29: Table 19. Nativity of the Population for the 50 Largest Urban Places: 1870 to 1990 Census.gov 2011 https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab19.html August 27, 2019 Campbell Gibson Emily Lennon 1871 U.S Census Report U.S. Census Bureau http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1871-02.pdf Contains 1870 census results.February 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes Douglas Marilyn Yates Melinda New York state census records, 1790–1925 : bibliography bulletin 88 New York State Library 1981 866298008 External links Library of Congress research guide for 1870 census - links to primary documents United States Census, 1870 Category:United States census United States