1840 United States census

The 1840 United States census was the sixth census of the United States. It happened on June 1, 1840. The census counted 17,069,453 people. This was 32.7 percent more than the 12,866,020 people counted in the 1830 census.

This census showed that many people lived in some places. A state had more than two million people (New York). A city had more than 300,000 people (New York). Three cities had more than 100,000 people. These cities were New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

This was the last census done by U.S. marshals. Starting in 1850, a special office was made for each census. This office was part of the Department of the Interior. The change happened because some people in the Whig Party did not agree with something in the 1840 census about Black Americans in the Northern United States.

Controversy over statistics for mental illness among Northern blacks

The 1840 census was the first to try counting Americans who were thought to have mental illness. The results showed many Black people in some states were reported as having mental illness. This upset many people.

Some people who supported slavery used these numbers to say slavery was good. Others who did not support slavery said the numbers were wrong. They asked the government to fix the mistakes, but the census numbers were not changed.

Census questions

The 1840 United States census asked about each family and its members. It collected the name and address of the family head. It counted free white males and females in different age groups.

The census also counted slaves and free colored persons. It included people who were deaf, blind, or unable to read and write. It recorded jobs and how many schools and students there were in the area.

Data availability

No detailed records from the 1840 United States census are available. But you can still find general population numbers for smaller areas. These numbers can be found online through the National Historical Geographic Information System. The Census Bureau also has data from this census. This data is organized by states, counties, and major towns. You can find it on the Census Bureau's website.

State rankings

The 1840 United States census counted the people living in the country on June 1, 1840. It found that 17,069,453 people were living in the United States. This was an increase of 32.7 percent from the previous census in 1830. Among these people, 2,487,355 were slaves. This information helped leaders learn about population growth and where people lived.

City rankings

The 1840 United States census counted the country’s population and listed its biggest cities. This helped leaders see where people lived and plan for the future. The information showed which cities were growing quickly and which were still small, giving a picture of the nation at that time.