1910 United States census

The 1910 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau on April 15, 1910, counted the number of people living in the United States at that time. It found that 92,228,496 people lived in the country, which was 21 percent more than the 76,212,168 people counted in the 1900 census. This census was special because it changed the way the information was recorded, switching from a portrait page orientation to a landscape orientation.

This census was also important because it was the last time that Texas did not have any cities in the top 50 largest cities by population, even though it was the fifth most populous state at the time. Another interesting fact is that for the first time, all of the top 50 largest cities in the United States had more than 100,000 people living in them.

The 1910 census introduced something new called metropolitan districts. These were the beginning of what we now call metropolitan statistical areas. They were used for cities that had at least 200,000 people. This helped to better understand how people lived and worked in larger city areas.

Organization

Dr. Edward Dana Durand, who was the head of the Bureau of Corporations at the time, was chosen in 1909 to be in charge of the census. The government set aside $14 million to carry out this important count of the country's people.

Census questions

The 1910 census gathered important details about people living in the United States. It asked for information such as each person's address, name, age, sex, race, and family relationships.

It also collected data on where people were born, their languages, jobs, whether they could read and write, and if they attended school. Additional questions covered home ownership, whether someone served in the Civil War, and any special conditions like being blind or deaf. Full records from this census can be found in the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Column titles

The 1910 United States census collected information about families and individuals living in the country on April 15, 1910. The census form had many columns with titles such as:

• Location: The street name and house number.
• Name: The full name of each person in the family, listed with the surname first.
• Relationship: How each person was related to the head of the family.
• Personal Description: Information like sex, race, age, and marital status.
• Nativity: Where each person and their parents were born.
• Citizenship: Year of immigration and whether the person was naturalized or still a foreign alien.
• Occupation: Job title, type of industry, and employment status.
• Education: Whether the person could read, write, or had attended school recently.
• Home Ownership: Whether the family owned or rented their home.

These columns helped the government understand the population and its needs better.

State rankings

The 1910 United States census counted the population of the country to be 92,228,496 people. This was an increase of 21 percent from the 1900 census, which had recorded 76,212,168 people. During this census, the way information was recorded changed from a portrait style to a landscape style.

At this time, Texas was the fifth most populated state, but it did not have any cities among the top 50 largest cities in the country.

Rank	State	Population as of 1910 census	Population as of 1900 census	Change	Percent change
1	New York	9,113,614	7,268,894	1,844,720	25.4%
2	Pennsylvania	7,665,111	6,302,115	1,362,996	21.6%
3	Illinois	5,638,591	4,821,550	817,041	16.9%
4	Ohio	4,767,121	4,157,545	609,576	14.7%
5	Texas	3,896,542	3,048,710	847,832	27.8%
6	Massachusetts	3,366,416	2,805,346	561,070	20.0%
7	Missouri	3,293,335	3,106,665	186,670	6.0%
8	Michigan	2,810,173	2,420,982	389,191	16.1%
9	Indiana	2,700,876	2,516,462	184,414	7.3%
10	Georgia	2,609,121	2,216,331	392,790	17.7%
11	New Jersey	2,537,167	1,883,669	653,498	34.7%
12	California	2,377,549	1,485,053	892,496	60.1%
13	Wisconsin	2,333,860	2,069,042	264,818	12.8%
14	Kentucky	2,289,905	2,147,174	142,731	6.6%
15	Iowa	2,224,771	2,231,853	−7,082	−0.3%
16	North Carolina	2,206,287	1,893,810	312,477	16.5%
17	Tennessee	2,184,789	2,020,616	164,173	8.1%
18	Alabama	2,138,093	1,828,697	309,396	16.9%
19	Minnesota	2,075,708	1,751,394	324,314	18.5%
20	Virginia	2,061,612	1,854,184	207,428	11.2%
21	Mississippi	1,797,114	1,551,270	245,844	15.8%
22	Kansas	1,690,949	1,470,495	220,454	15.0%
23	Oklahoma	1,657,155	790,391	866,764	109.7%
24	Louisiana	1,656,388	1,381,625	274,763	19.9%
25	Arkansas	1,574,449	1,311,564	262,885	20.0%
26	South Carolina	1,515,400	1,340,316	175,084	13.1%
27	Maryland	1,295,346	1,188,044	107,302	9.0%
28	West Virginia	1,221,119	958,800	262,319	27.4%
29	Nebraska	1,192,214	1,066,300	125,914	11.8%
30	Washington	1,141,990	518,103	623,887	120.4%
31	Connecticut	1,114,756	908,420	206,336	22.7%
32	Colorado	799,024	539,700	259,324	48.0%
33	Florida	752,619	528,542	224,077	42.4%
34	Maine	742,371	694,466	47,905	6.9%
35	Oregon	672,765	413,536	259,229	62.7%
36	South Dakota	583,888	401,570	182,318	45.4%
37	North Dakota	577,056	319,146	257,910	80.8%
38	Rhode Island	542,610	428,556	114,054	26.6%
39	New Hampshire	430,572	411,588	18,984	4.6%
40	Montana	376,053	243,329	132,724	54.5%
41	Utah	373,351	276,749	96,602	34.9%
42	Vermont	355,956	343,641	12,315	3.6%
–	District of Columbia	331,069	278,718	52,351	18.8%
–	New Mexico	327,301	195,310	131,991	67.6%
43	Idaho	325,594	161,772	163,822	101.3%
–	Arizona	204,354	122,931	81,423	66.2%
44	Delaware	202,322	184,735	17,587	9.5%
–	Hawaii	191,874	154,001	37,873	24.6%
45	Wyoming	145,965	92,531	53,434	57.7%
46	Nevada	81,875	42,335	39,540	93.4%
–	Alaska	64,356	63,592	764	1.2%

City rankings

The 1910 United States census counted the population of the country to be 92,228,496, which was a big jump of 21 percent from the previous census in 1900. During this census, the way information was recorded changed from standing upright to lying flat on its side. This census was also notable because the state of Texas, which was the fifth most populated state at the time, did not have any cities among the top 50 most populated cities in the country.

Locations of 50 most populous cities

The 1910 United States census recorded the locations of the 50 most populous cities in the country. Major cities included New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Other significant cities on the list were Boston, San Francisco, Washington, and Seattle.

The map shows these cities across the United States. Some cities, like Paterson, New Jersey, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, were smaller but still important at the time. Notably, Texas — one of the larger states — did not have any cities in the top 50 despite being the fifth most populous state.

First language of the foreign-born population

The 1910 United States census collected important information about the languages spoken by people born outside of the United States. This helped officials understand the diverse backgrounds of immigrants living in the country at that time. The data provided valuable insights into the linguistic makeup of the foreign-born population, showing which languages were most commonly spoken among immigrants.

Data availability

The original papers from the 1910 United States census were filmed by the Census Bureau in the 1940s and then destroyed. You can see these filmed records in rolls from the National Archives and Records Administration. Some websites also show these films online and have digital indexes to help you search.

Data from the 1910 census is available for free through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. You can also download aggregate data for smaller areas and electronic maps from the National Historical Geographic Information System.