The United States census of 1890 was taken beginning June 2, 1890, but most of the 1890 census materials were destroyed in 1921 when a building caught fire and in the subsequent disposal of the remaining damaged records. It determined the resident population of the United States to be 62,979,766—an increase of 25.5 percent over the 50,189,209 persons enumerated during the 1880 census. The data reported that the distribution of the population had resulted in the disappearance of the American frontier.
This was the first census in which a majority of states recorded populations of over one million, as well as the first in which multiple cities—New York as of 1880, Chicago, and Philadelphia—recorded populations of over one million. The census also saw Chicago rise in rank to the nation's second most populous city, a position it would hold until Los Angeles (then 57th) would supplant it in 1990. This was the first U.S. census to use machines to tabulate the collected data.
mother of how many children, and number now living
place of birth of person, and their father and mother
if foreign-born, number of years in US
whether naturalized
whether naturalization papers have been taken out
profession, trade or occupation
months unemployed during census year
ability to read and write
ability to speak English, and, if unable, language or dialect spoken
whether suffering from acute or chronic disease, with name of disease and length of time afflicted
whether defective in mind, sight, hearing or speech, or whether crippled, maimed or deformed, with name of defect
whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper
home rented, or owned by head or member of family, and, if owned, whether free from mortgage
if farmer, whether farm is rented, or owned by head or member of family; if owned, whether free from mortgage; if rented, post office box of owner
Methodology
A Hollerith tabulator that has been modified for the first 1890 tabulation of the family, or rough, count; the punched-card reader has been removed, replaced by a simple keyboard.[2]: 61
The 1890 census was the first to be compiled using methods invented by Herman Hollerith and was overseen by Superintendents Robert P. Porter (1889–1893) and Carroll D. Wright (1893–1897). Data was entered on a machine readable medium (punched cards) and tabulated by machine.[2] Changes from the 1880 census included the larger population, the number of data items to be collected from individuals, the Census Bureau headcount, the volume of scheduled publications, and the use of Hollerith's electromechanical tabulators. The net effect of these changes was to reduce the time required to process the census from eight years for the 1880 census to six years for the 1890 census.[3] The total population of 62,947,714, the family, or rough, count, was announced after only six weeks of processing (punched cards were not used for this tabulation).[4][2]: 61 The public reaction to this tabulation was disbelief, as it was widely believed that the "right answer" was at least 75,000,000.[5]
The 1890 census announced that the frontier region of the United States no longer existed,[7] and that the Census Bureau would no longer track the westward migration of the U.S. population.
By 1890, settlement in the American West had reached sufficient population density that the frontier line had disappeared. For the 1890 census, the Census Bureau released a bulletin declaring the closing of the frontier, stating: "Up to and including 1880 the country had a frontier of settlement, but at present the unsettled area has been so broken into by isolated bodies of settlement that there can hardly be said to be a frontier line. In the discussion of its extent, its westward movement, etc., it can not, therefore, any longer have a place in the census reports."[8]
Data availability
The original data for the 1890 census is mostly unavailable. The population schedules were damaged in a fire in the basement of the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C. in 1921. Some 25% of the materials were presumed destroyed and another 50% damaged by smoke and water (although the actual damage may have been closer to 15–25%). The damage to the records led to an outcry for a permanent National Archives.[9][10] In December 1932, following standard federal record-keeping procedures, the Chief Clerk of the Bureau of the Census sent the Librarian of Congress a list of papers to be destroyed, including the original 1890 census schedules. The Librarian was asked by the Bureau to identify any records which should be retained for historical purposes, but the Librarian did not accept the census records. Congress authorized destruction of that list of records on February 21, 1933, and the surviving original 1890 census records were destroyed by government order by 1934 or 1935. Few sets of microdata from the 1890 census survive.[11]Aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.
^"Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925". New York State Library. October 1981. p. 44 (p. 50 of PDF). from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
^ abcTruesdell, Leon E. (1965). The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census: 1890–1940. US GPO.
^Report of the Commissioner of Labor In Charge of The Eleventh Census to the Secretary of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1895. Washington, DC: United States Government Publishing Office. July 29, 1895. hdl:2027/osu.32435067619882. OCLC 867910652. p. 9: "You may confidently look for the rapid reduction of the force of this office after the 1st of October, and the entire cessation of clerical work during the present calendar year. ... The condition of the work of the Census Division and the condition of the final reports show clearly that the work of the Eleventh Census will be completed at least two years earlier than was the work of the Tenth Census." — Carroll D. Wright, Commissioner of Labor in Charge
^"Population and Area (Historical Censuses)" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
^Austrian, Geoffrey D. (1982). Herman Hollerith: Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 85–86. ISBN0-231-05146-8.
^Dippie, Brian W. (1982). The Vanishing American: White Attitudes and U.S. Indian Policy. Middleton, CT: Wesleyan University Press. p. ??. ISBN0-8195-5056-6. The data yielded by this census provided strong evidence that the United States' policies towards Native Americans had had a significant impact on the enumeration of the census in the second half of the 19th century. US domestic policy combined with wars, genocide, famine, disease, a declining birthrate, and exogamy (with the children of biracial families declaring themselves to be white rather than Indian) accounted for the decrease in the enumeration of the census. Chalk, Frank; Jonassohn, Kurt (1990). The History and Sociology of Genocide: Analyses and Case Studies. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN0-300-04446-1.
^Porter, Robert; Gannett, Henry; Hunt, William (1895). "Progress of the Nation", in "Report on Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890, Part 1". Bureau of the Census. pp. xviii–xxxiv.
^Turner, Frederick Jackson (1920). "The Significance of the Frontier in American History". The Frontier in American History. p. 1.
^US Census Bureau, Census History Staff. "Availability of 1890 Census – History – U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
^The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the Residence Act of 1790.
^Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
^. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
External links
Mayo-Smith, Richmond (1891), "The Eleventh Census of the United States". In: The Economic Journal (EJ), Vol. 1, pp. 43–58 (in Wikisource)
1891 U.S Census Report Contains 1890 census results
Historical US Census data from the U.S. Census Bureau website
Hollerith 1890 Census Tabulator by Columbia University
"The Fate of the 1890 Population Census" from the National Archives website
March 20, 2023
1890, united, states, census, united, states, census, 1890, taken, beginning, june, 1890, most, 1890, census, materials, were, destroyed, 1921, when, building, caught, fire, subsequent, disposal, remaining, damaged, records, determined, resident, population, u. The United States census of 1890 was taken beginning June 2 1890 but most of the 1890 census materials were destroyed in 1921 when a building caught fire and in the subsequent disposal of the remaining damaged records It determined the resident population of the United States to be 62 979 766 an increase of 25 5 percent over the 50 189 209 persons enumerated during the 1880 census The data reported that the distribution of the population had resulted in the disappearance of the American frontier 1890 United States census 1880 June 2 1890 1890 06 02 1900 1890 census formGeneral informationCountryUnited StatesResultsTotal population62 979 766 25 5 Most populous wbr stateNew York6 003 174Least populous wbr stateNevada47 335This was the first census in which a majority of states recorded populations of over one million as well as the first in which multiple cities New York as of 1880 Chicago and Philadelphia recorded populations of over one million The census also saw Chicago rise in rank to the nation s second most populous city a position it would hold until Los Angeles then 57th would supplant it in 1990 This was the first U S census to use machines to tabulate the collected data Contents 1 Census questions 2 Methodology 3 Significant findings 4 Data availability 5 State rankings 6 City rankings 7 References 8 External linksCensus questions EditThe 1890 census collected the following information 1 address number of families in house number of persons in house names whether a soldier sailor or marine Union or Confederate during the American Civil War or a widow of such person relationship to head of family race described as white black mulatto quadroon octoroon Chinese Japanese or Indian sex age marital status married within the year mother of how many children and number now living place of birth of person and their father and mother if foreign born number of years in US whether naturalized whether naturalization papers have been taken out profession trade or occupation months unemployed during census year ability to read and write ability to speak English and if unable language or dialect spoken whether suffering from acute or chronic disease with name of disease and length of time afflicted whether defective in mind sight hearing or speech or whether crippled maimed or deformed with name of defect whether a prisoner convict homeless child or pauper home rented or owned by head or member of family and if owned whether free from mortgage if farmer whether farm is rented or owned by head or member of family if owned whether free from mortgage if rented post office box of ownerMethodology Edit A Hollerith tabulator that has been modified for the first 1890 tabulation of the family or rough count the punched card reader has been removed replaced by a simple keyboard 2 61 The 1890 census was the first to be compiled using methods invented by Herman Hollerith and was overseen by Superintendents Robert P Porter 1889 1893 and Carroll D Wright 1893 1897 Data was entered on a machine readable medium punched cards and tabulated by machine 2 Changes from the 1880 census included the larger population the number of data items to be collected from individuals the Census Bureau headcount the volume of scheduled publications and the use of Hollerith s electromechanical tabulators The net effect of these changes was to reduce the time required to process the census from eight years for the 1880 census to six years for the 1890 census 3 The total population of 62 947 714 the family or rough count was announced after only six weeks of processing punched cards were not used for this tabulation 4 2 61 The public reaction to this tabulation was disbelief as it was widely believed that the right answer was at least 75 000 000 5 Significant findings EditThe United States census of 1890 showed a total of 248 253 Native Americans living in the United States down from 400 764 Native Americans identified in the census of 1850 6 The 1890 census announced that the frontier region of the United States no longer existed 7 and that the Census Bureau would no longer track the westward migration of the U S population By 1890 settlement in the American West had reached sufficient population density that the frontier line had disappeared For the 1890 census the Census Bureau released a bulletin declaring the closing of the frontier stating Up to and including 1880 the country had a frontier of settlement but at present the unsettled area has been so broken into by isolated bodies of settlement that there can hardly be said to be a frontier line In the discussion of its extent its westward movement etc it can not therefore any longer have a place in the census reports 8 Data availability EditThe original data for the 1890 census is mostly unavailable The population schedules were damaged in a fire in the basement of the Commerce Building in Washington D C in 1921 Some 25 of the materials were presumed destroyed and another 50 damaged by smoke and water although the actual damage may have been closer to 15 25 The damage to the records led to an outcry for a permanent National Archives 9 10 In December 1932 following standard federal record keeping procedures the Chief Clerk of the Bureau of the Census sent the Librarian of Congress a list of papers to be destroyed including the original 1890 census schedules The Librarian was asked by the Bureau to identify any records which should be retained for historical purposes but the Librarian did not accept the census records Congress authorized destruction of that list of records on February 21 1933 and the surviving original 1890 census records were destroyed by government order by 1934 or 1935 Few sets of microdata from the 1890 census survive 11 Aggregate data for small areas together with compatible cartographic boundary files can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System State rankings EditRank State Population01 New York 6 003 17402 Pennsylvania 5 258 11303 Illinois 3 826 35204 Ohio 3 672 32905 Missouri 2 679 18506 Massachusetts 2 238 94707 Texas 2 235 52708 Indiana 2 192 40409 Michigan 2 093 89010 Iowa 1 912 29711 Kentucky 1 858 63512 Georgia 1 837 35313 Tennessee 1 767 51814 Wisconsin 1 693 33015 Virginia 1 655 98016 North Carolina 1 617 94917 Alabama 1 513 40118 New Jersey 1 444 93319 Kansas 1 428 10820 Minnesota 1 310 28321 Mississippi 1 289 60022 California 1 213 39823 South Carolina 1 151 14924 Arkansas 1 128 21125 Louisiana 1 118 58826 Nebraska 1 062 65627 Maryland 1 042 39028 West Virginia 762 79429 Connecticut 746 25830 Maine 661 08631 Colorado 413 24932 Florida 391 42233 New Hampshire 376 53034 Washington 357 23235 South Dakota 348 60036 Rhode Island 345 50637 Vermont 332 42238 Oregon 317 704X Oklahoma 258 657X District of Columbia 12 230 392X Utah 210 77939 North Dakota 190 98340 Delaware 168 493X New Mexico 160 28241 Montana 142 92442 Idaho 88 548X Arizona 88 24343 Wyoming 62 55544 Nevada 47 355X Alaska 32 052City rankings EditRank City State Population 13 Region 2016 14 01 New York New York 1 515 301 Northeast02 Chicago Illinois 1 099 850 Midwest03 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1 046 964 Northeast04 Brooklyn New York 806 343 Northeast05 St Louis Missouri 451 770 Midwest06 Boston Massachusetts 448 477 Northeast07 Baltimore Maryland 434 439 South08 San Francisco California 298 997 West09 Cincinnati Ohio 296 908 Midwest10 Cleveland Ohio 261 353 Midwest11 Buffalo New York 255 664 Northeast12 New Orleans Louisiana 242 039 South13 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 238 617 Northeast14 Washington District of Columbia 230 392 South15 Detroit Michigan 205 876 Midwest16 Milwaukee Wisconsin 204 468 Midwest17 Newark New Jersey 181 830 Northeast18 Minneapolis Minnesota 164 738 Midwest19 Jersey City New Jersey 163 003 Northeast20 Louisville Kentucky 161 129 South21 Omaha Nebraska 140 452 Midwest22 Rochester New York 133 896 Northeast23 Saint Paul Minnesota 133 156 Midwest24 Kansas City Missouri 132 716 Midwest25 Providence Rhode Island 132 146 Northeast26 Denver Colorado 106 713 West27 Indianapolis Indiana 105 436 Midwest28 Allegheny Pennsylvania 105 287 Northeast29 Albany New York 94 923 Northeast30 Columbus Ohio 88 150 Midwest31 Syracuse New York 88 143 Northeast32 New Haven Connecticut 86 045 Northeast33 Worcester Massachusetts 84 655 Northeast34 Toledo Ohio 81 434 Midwest35 Richmond Virginia 81 388 South36 Paterson New Jersey 78 347 Northeast37 Lowell Massachusetts 77 696 Northeast38 Nashville Tennessee 76 168 South39 Scranton Pennsylvania 75 215 Northeast40 Fall River Massachusetts 74 398 Northeast41 Cambridge Massachusetts 70 028 Northeast42 Atlanta Georgia 65 533 South43 Memphis Tennessee 64 495 South44 Wilmington Delaware 61 431 South45 Dayton Ohio 61 220 Midwest46 Troy New York 60 956 Northeast47 Grand Rapids Michigan 60 278 Midwest48 Reading Pennsylvania 58 661 Northeast49 Camden New Jersey 58 313 Northeast50 Trenton New Jersey 57 458 Northeast51 Lynn Massachusetts 55 727 Northeast52 Lincoln Nebraska 55 154 Midwest53 Charleston South Carolina 54 955 South54 Hartford Connecticut 53 230 Northeast55 St Joseph Missouri 52 324 Midwest56 Evansville Indiana 50 756 Midwest57 Los Angeles California 50 395 West58 Des Moines Iowa 50 093 Midwest59 Bridgeport Connecticut 48 866 Northeast60 Oakland California 48 682 West61 Portland Oregon 46 385 West62 Saginaw Michigan 46 322 Midwest63 Salt Lake City Utah 44 843 West64 Lawrence Massachusetts 44 654 Northeast65 Springfield Massachusetts 44 179 Northeast66 Manchester New Hampshire 44 126 Northeast67 Utica New York 44 007 Northeast68 Hoboken New Jersey 43 648 Northeast69 Savannah Georgia 43 189 South70 Seattle Washington 42 837 West71 Peoria Illinois 41 024 Midwest72 New Bedford Massachusetts 40 733 Northeast73 Erie Pennsylvania 40 634 Northeast74 Somerville Massachusetts 40 152 Northeast75 Harrisburg Pennsylvania 39 385 Northeast76 Kansas City Kansas 38 316 Midwest77 Dallas Texas 38 067 South78 Sioux City Iowa 37 806 Midwest79 Elizabeth New Jersey 37 764 Northeast80 Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania 37 718 Northeast81 San Antonio Texas 37 673 South82 Covington Kentucky 37 371 South83 Portland Maine 36 425 Northeast84 Tacoma Washington 36 006 West85 Holyoke Massachusetts 35 637 Northeast86 Fort Wayne Indiana 35 393 Midwest87 Binghamton New York 35 005 Northeast88 Norfolk Virginia 34 871 South89 Wheeling West Virginia 34 522 South90 Augusta Georgia 33 300 South91 Youngstown Ohio 33 220 Midwest92 Duluth Minnesota 33 115 Midwest93 Yonkers New York 32 033 Northeast94 Lancaster Pennsylvania 32 011 Northeast95 Springfield Ohio 31 895 Midwest96 Quincy Illinois 31 494 Midwest97 Mobile Alabama 31 076 South98 Topeka Kansas 31 007 Midwest99 Elmira New York 30 893 Northeast100 Salem Massachusetts 30 801 NortheastReferences Edit Library Bibliography Bulletin 88 New York State Census Records 1790 1925 New York State Library October 1981 p 44 p 50 of PDF Archived from the original on January 30 2009 Retrieved December 15 2008 a b c Truesdell Leon E 1965 The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census 1890 1940 US GPO Report of the Commissioner of Labor In Charge of The Eleventh Census to the Secretary of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30 1895 Washington DC United States Government Publishing Office July 29 1895 hdl 2027 osu 32435067619882 OCLC 867910652 p 9 You may confidently look for the rapid reduction of the force of this office after the 1st of October and the entire cessation of clerical work during the present calendar year The condition of the work of the Census Division and the condition of the final reports show clearly that the work of the Eleventh Census will be completed at least two years earlier than was the work of the Tenth Census Carroll D Wright Commissioner of Labor in Charge Population and Area Historical Censuses PDF United States Census Bureau Archived PDF from the original on June 24 2008 Retrieved June 20 2008 Austrian Geoffrey D 1982 Herman Hollerith Forgotten Giant of Information Processing New York Columbia University Press pp 85 86 ISBN 0 231 05146 8 Dippie Brian W 1982 The Vanishing American White Attitudes and U S Indian Policy Middleton CT Wesleyan University Press p ISBN 0 8195 5056 6 The data yielded by this census provided strong evidence that the United States policies towards Native Americans had had a significant impact on the enumeration of the census in the second half of the 19th century US domestic policy combined with wars genocide famine disease a declining birthrate and exogamy with the children of biracial families declaring themselves to be white rather than Indian accounted for the decrease in the enumeration of the census Chalk Frank Jonassohn Kurt 1990 The History and Sociology of Genocide Analyses and Case Studies New Haven Yale University Press ISBN 0 300 04446 1 Porter Robert Gannett Henry Hunt William 1895 Progress of the Nation in Report on Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census 1890 Part 1 Bureau of the Census pp xviii xxxiv Turner Frederick Jackson 1920 The Significance of the Frontier in American History The Frontier in American History p 1 Blake Kellee Spring 1996 First in the Path of the Firemen The Fate of the 1890 Population Census Part 1 Prologue Magazine Washington DC National Archives and Records Administration 28 1 ISSN 0033 1031 OCLC 321015582 Retrieved April 13 2013 Blake Kellee Spring 1996 First in the Path of the Firemen The Fate of the 1890 Population Census Part 3 Prologue Magazine Washington DC National Archives and Records Administration 28 1 ISSN 0033 1031 OCLC 321015582 Retrieved April 13 2013 US Census Bureau Census History Staff Availability of 1890 Census History U S Census Bureau www census gov Retrieved March 28 2017 The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the Residence Act of 1790 Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States 1790 to 1990 U S Census Bureau 1998 Regions and Divisions U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on December 3 2016 Retrieved September 9 2016 External links EditMayo Smith Richmond 1891 The Eleventh Census of the United States In The Economic Journal EJ Vol 1 pp 43 58 in Wikisource 1891 U S Census Report Contains 1890 census results Historical US Census data from the U S Census Bureau website Hollerith 1890 Census Tabulator by Columbia University The Fate of the 1890 Population Census from the National Archives website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1890 United States census amp oldid 1142023076, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
