1900 United States census

The 1900 United States census, conducted by the Census Office on June 1, 1900, counted the number of people living in the United States. It found that 76,212,168 people were living in the country, which was a big increase of 21.01% from the 1890 census. This was the last time the census was done before the United States created a permanent group to handle these counts.

During this time, New York City grew very fast. This happened because it joined with another place called Brooklyn, which made the city much bigger. After this joining, New York City became the first city in the United States to have more than three million people living there. Before, Brooklyn was the fourth largest city in the country on its own.

The job of watching over the numbers was done by Frederick Howard Wines and Walter F. Willcox. This census helped give leaders important information about where people lived and how the country was growing.

Census questions

The 1900 census collected important details about people living in the United States. It asked for information like each person’s address, name, age, family relationships, and place of birth. It also asked about jobs, school attendance, and whether people could speak English.

The census recorded whether people were born in another country and when they came to the United States. For women, it asked about the number of children they had and how many were still alive. All of this information helped leaders understand the country’s growing population. Full documentation for the 1900 census is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Data availability

The original papers from the 1900 United States census were filmed and then destroyed. You can see these films at the National Archives and Records Administration or online through several groups.

Detailed numbers from the census are free to use thanks to IPUMS. You can also find grouped numbers and maps from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

State rankings

The 1900 United States census counted 76,212,168 people, which was a big increase from the previous count in 1890. This was the last census before the United States started its own permanent office to handle these counts.

New York City grew very fast during this time. It more than doubled in size when it joined with Brooklyn, making it the biggest city in the country and the first U.S. city to have more than three million people. Before this, Brooklyn was the fourth largest city in the United States on its own.

Rank	State	Population as of 1900 census	Population as of 1890 census	Change	Percent change
1	New York	7,268,894	6,003,174	1,265,720	21.1%
2	Pennsylvania	6,302,115	5,258,113	1,044,002	19.9%
3	Illinois	4,821,550	3,826,352	995,198	26.0%
4	Ohio	4,157,545	3,672,329	485,216	13.2%
5	Missouri	3,106,665	2,679,185	427,480	16.0%
6	Texas	3,048,710	2,235,527	813,183	36.4%
7	Massachusetts	2,805,346	2,238,947	566,399	25.3%
8	Indiana	2,516,462	2,192,404	324,058	14.8%
9	Michigan	2,420,982	2,093,890	327,092	15.6%
10	Iowa	2,231,853	1,912,297	319,556	16.7%
11	Georgia	2,216,331	1,837,353	378,978	20.6%
12	Kentucky	2,147,174	1,858,635	288,539	15.5%
13	Wisconsin	2,069,042	1,693,330	375,712	22.2%
14	Tennessee	2,020,616	1,767,518	253,098	14.3%
15	North Carolina	1,893,810	1,617,949	275,861	17.0%
16	New Jersey	1,883,669	1,444,933	438,736	30.4%
17	Virginia	1,854,184	1,655,980	198,204	12.0%
18	Alabama	1,828,697	1,513,401	315,296	20.8%
19	Minnesota	1,751,394	1,310,283	441,111	33.7%
20	Mississippi	1,551,270	1,289,600	261,670	20.3%
21	California	1,485,053	1,213,398	271,655	22.4%
22	Kansas	1,470,495	1,428,108	42,387	3.0%
23	Louisiana	1,381,625	1,118,588	263,037	23.5%
24	South Carolina	1,340,316	1,151,149	189,167	16.4%
25	Arkansas	1,311,564	1,128,211	183,353	16.3%
26	Maryland	1,188,044	1,042,390	145,654	14.0%
27	Nebraska	1,066,300	1,062,656	3,644	0.3%
28	West Virginia	958,800	762,794	196,006	25.7%
29	Connecticut	908,420	746,258	162,162	21.7%
–	Oklahoma	790,391	258,657	531,734	205.6%
30	Maine	694,466	661,086	33,380	5.0%
31	Colorado	539,700	413,249	126,451	30.6%
32	Florida	528,542	391,422	137,120	35.0%
33	Washington	518,103	357,232	160,871	45.0%
34	Rhode Island	428,556	345,506	83,050	24.0%
35	Oregon	413,536	317,704	95,832	30.2%
36	New Hampshire	411,588	376,530	35,058	9.3%
37	South Dakota	401,570	348,600	52,970	15.2%
38	Vermont	343,641	332,422	11,219	3.4%
39	North Dakota	319,146	190,983	128,163	67.1%
–	District of Columbia	278,718	230,392	48,326	21.0%
40	Utah	276,749	210,779	65,970	31.3%
41	Montana	243,329	142,924	100,405	70.3%
–	New Mexico	195,310	160,282	35,028	21.9%
42	Delaware	184,735	168,493	16,242	9.6%
43	Idaho	161,772	88,548	73,224	82.7%
–	Hawaii	154,001	89,990	64,011	71.1%
–	Arizona	122,931	88,243	34,688	39.3%
44	Wyoming	92,531	62,555	29,976	47.9%
–	Alaska	63,592	32,052	31,540	98.4%
45	Nevada	42,335	47,355	-5,020	-10.6%
	United States	76,212,168	62,979,766	13,232,402	21.0%

City rankings

The 1900 United States census showed that New York City had grown very quickly. This was because it combined with a nearby area called Brooklyn, which made the city much larger. New York City became the first city in the United States to have more than three million people living there. Before this, Brooklyn was its own city and was the fourth largest in the country.

Locations of 50 most populous cities

The year 1900 saw many big cities across the United States. New York City became the largest city in the nation, growing quickly because it joined with nearby Brooklyn. Other major cities included Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Boston. Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco were also among the largest at that time.

The list shows the 50 most populous cities in the United States in 1900:

• New York
• Chicago
• Philadelphia
• St. Louis
• Boston
• Baltimore
• Cleveland
• Buffalo
• San Francisco
• Cincinnati
• Pittsburgh
• New Orleans
• Detroit
• Milwaukee
• Washington
• Newark
• Jersey City
• Louisville
• Minneapolis
• Providence
• Indianapolis
• Kansas City
• Saint Paul
• Rochester
• Denver
• Toledo
• Allegheny
• Columbus
• Worcester, Massachusetts
• Syracuse
• New Haven
• Paterson, New Jersey
• Fall River
• St. Joseph
• Omaha
• Los Angeles
• Memphis
• Scranton
• Lowell
• Albany, New York
• Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Portland
• Atlanta
• Grand Rapids
• Dayton
• Richmond
• Nashville
• Seattle
• Hartford, Connecticut
• Reading