1920 United States census

Last updated

Fourteenth census
of the United States

  1910 January 1, 1920 1930  

Seal of the United States Census Bureau.svg
U.S. Census Bureau seal
General information
CountryUnited States
Results
Total population106,021,537 (Increase2.svg 15.0%)
Most populous state New York
10,385,227
Least populous state Nevada
77,407

The 1920 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau during one month from January 5, 1920, determined the resident population of the United States to be 106,021,537, an increase of 15.0 percent over the 92,228,496 persons enumerated during the 1910 census. [1]

Contents

The 1920 Census was determined for 1 January 1920. The actual date of the enumeration appears on the heading of each page of the census schedule, but all responses were to reflect the individual's status as of 1 January, even if the status had changed between 1 January and the day of enumeration.

Despite the constitutional requirement that House seats be reapportioned to the states respective of their population every ten years according to the census, members of Congress failed to agree on a reapportionment plan following this census, and the distribution of seats from the 1910 census remained in effect until 1933. In 1929, Congress passed the Reapportionment Act of 1929 which provided for a permanent method of reapportionment and fixed the number of representatives at 435.

This was the first census in which the United States recorded a population of more than 100 million. It was also the first census in which a state New York recorded a population of more than ten million.

This census also marked a significant population shift from rural to urban. According to the Census Bureau, "Beginning in 1910, the minimum population threshold to be categorized as an urban place was set at 2,500. "Urban" was defined as including all territory, persons, and housing units within an incorporated area that met the population threshold. The 1920 census marked the first time in which over 50 percent of the U.S. population was defined as "urban." [2]

Census questions

The 1920 census collected the following information: [3]

Full documentation for the 1920 census, including census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

State rankings

RankStatePopulation as of
1920 census
Population as of
1910 census
ChangePercent
change
1Flag of New York.svg New York 10,385,2279,113,6141,271,613 Increase2.svg14.0% Increase2.svg
2Flag of Pennsylvania.svg Pennsylvania 8,720,0177,665,1111,054,906 Increase2.svg13.8% Increase2.svg
3Flag of Illinois (1915-1969).svg Illinois 6,485,2805,638,591846,689 Increase2.svg15.0% Increase2.svg
4Flag of Ohio.svg Ohio 5,759,3944,767,121992,273 Increase2.svg20.8% Increase2.svg
5Flag of Texas.svg Texas 4,663,2283,896,542766,686 Increase2.svg19.7% Increase2.svg
6Flag of Massachusetts.svg Massachusetts 3,852,3563,366,416485,940 Increase2.svg14.4% Increase2.svg
7Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan 3,668,4122,810,173858,239 Increase2.svg30.5% Increase2.svg
8Flag of California.svg California 3,426,8652,377,5491,049,312 Increase2.svg44.1% Increase2.svg
9Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri 3,404,0553,293,335110,720 Increase2.svg3.4% Increase2.svg
10Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey 3,155,9002,537,167618,733 Increase2.svg24.4% Increase2.svg
11Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana 2,930,3902,700,876229,514 Increase2.svg8.5% Increase2.svg
12Flag of the State of Georgia (1920-1956).svg Georgia 2,895,8322,609,121286,711 Increase2.svg11.0% Increase2.svg
13Flag of Wisconsin (1913-1981).svg Wisconsin 2,632,0672,333,860298,207 Increase2.svg12.8% Increase2.svg
14Flag of North Carolina (1885-1991).svg North Carolina 2,559,1232,206,287352,836 Increase2.svg16.0% Increase2.svg
15Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky 2,416,6302,289,905126,725 Increase2.svg5.5% Increase2.svg
16Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa 2,404,0212,224,771179,250 Increase2.svg8.1% Increase2.svg
17Flag of Minnesota (1893-1957).svg Minnesota 2,387,1252,075,708311,417 Increase2.svg15.0% Increase2.svg
18Flag of Alabama.svg Alabama 2,348,1742,138,093210,081 Increase2.svg9.8% Increase2.svg
19Flag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee 2,337,8852,184,789153,096 Increase2.svg7.0% Increase2.svg
20Flag of Virginia.svg Virginia 2,309,1872,061,612247,575 Increase2.svg12.0% Increase2.svg
21Flag of Oklahoma (1911-1925).svg Oklahoma 2,028,2831,657,155371,128 Increase2.svg22.4% Increase2.svg
22Flag of Louisiana.svg Louisiana 1,798,5091,656,388142,121 Increase2.svg8.6% Increase2.svg
23Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).png Mississippi 1,790,6181,797,114-6,496 Decrease2.svg-0.4% Decrease2.svg
24Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas 1,769,2571,690,94978,308 Increase2.svg4.6% Increase2.svg
25Flag of Arkansas (1913).svg Arkansas 1,752,2041,574,449177,755 Increase2.svg11.3% Increase2.svg
26Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina 1,683,7241,515,400168,324 Increase2.svg11.1% Increase2.svg
27Flag of West Virginia (1907-1929).png West Virginia 1,463,7011,221,119242,582 Increase2.svg19.9% Increase2.svg
28Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland 1,449,6611,295,346154,315 Increase2.svg11.9% Increase2.svg
29Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut 1,380,6311,114,756265,875 Increase2.svg23.9% Increase2.svg
30Flag of Washington.svg Washington 1,356,6211,141,990214,631 Increase2.svg18.8% Increase2.svg
31Flag of Nebraska.svg Nebraska 1,296,3721,192,214104,158 Increase2.svg8.7% Increase2.svg
32Flag of Florida (1900-1985).svg Florida 968,470752,619215,851 Increase2.svg28.7% Increase2.svg
33Flag of Colorado (1911-1964).svg Colorado 939,629799,024140,605 Increase2.svg17.6% Increase2.svg
34Flag of Oregon.svg Oregon 783,389672,765110,624 Increase2.svg16.4% Increase2.svg
35Flag of Maine.svg Maine 768,014742,37125,643 Increase2.svg3.5% Increase2.svg
36Flag of North Dakota.svg North Dakota 646,872577,05669,816 Increase2.svg12.1% Increase2.svg
37Flag of South Dakota (1909-1963).svg South Dakota 636,547583,88852,659 Increase2.svg9.0% Increase2.svg
38Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island 604,397542,61061,787 Increase2.svg11.4% Increase2.svg
39Flag of Montana (1905-1981).svg Montana 548,889376,053172,836 Increase2.svg46.0% Increase2.svg
40Flag of Utah (1913-1922).png Utah 449,396373,35176,045 Increase2.svg20.4% Increase2.svg
41Flag of New Hampshire (1909-1931).png New Hampshire 443,083430,57212,511 Increase2.svg2.9% Increase2.svg
-Flag of Washington, D.C.svg District of Columbia 437,571331,069106,502 Increase2.svg32.2% Increase2.svg
42Flag of Idaho.svg Idaho 431,866325,594106,272 Increase2.svg32.6% Increase2.svg
43Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico 360,350327,30133,049 Increase2.svg10.1% Increase2.svg
44Flag of Vermont.svg Vermont 352,428355,956-3,528 Decrease2.svg-1.0% Decrease2.svg
45Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona 334,162204,354129,808 Increase2.svg63.5% Increase2.svg
-Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii 255,881191,87464,007 Increase2.svg33.4% Increase2.svg
46Flag of Delaware.svg Delaware 223,003202,32220,681 Increase2.svg10.2% Increase2.svg
47Flag of Wyoming.svg Wyoming 194,402145,96548,437 Increase2.svg33.2% Increase2.svg
48Flag of Nevada (1915-1929).png Nevada 77,40781,875-4,468 Decrease2.svg-5.5% Decrease2.svg
-Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska 55,03664,356-9,320 Decrease2.svg14.5% Decrease2.svg

Territories

United States Territories
Year of conquest or purchaseTerritoryPopulation
1867 Alaska 64,356
1898 Hawaii 255,881
1898 Puerto Rico 1,299,809
1898 Guam 13,275
1898 Philippine Islands 10,314,310
1899 American Samoa
1903 Panama Canal Zone
1915 Haiti
1916 Santo Domingo 894,652
1916 US Virgin Islands

City rankings

RankCityStatePopulation [4] Region (2016) [5]
01 New York New York 5,620,048 Northeast
02 Chicago Illinois 2,701,705 Midwest
03 Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,823,779 Northeast
04 Detroit Michigan 993,078 Midwest
05 Cleveland Ohio 796,841 Midwest
06 St. Louis Missouri 772,897 Midwest
07 Boston Massachusetts 748,060 Northeast
08 Baltimore Maryland 733,826 South
09 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 588,343 Northeast
10 Los Angeles California 576,673 West
11 Buffalo New York 506,775 Northeast
12 San Francisco California 506,676 West
13 Milwaukee Wisconsin 457,147 Midwest
14 Washington District of Columbia 437,571 South
15 Newark New Jersey 414,524 Northeast
16 Cincinnati Ohio 401,247 Midwest
17 New Orleans Louisiana 387,219 South
18 Minneapolis Minnesota 380,582 Midwest
19 Kansas City Missouri 324,410 Midwest
20 Seattle Washington 315,312 West
21 Indianapolis Indiana 314,194 Midwest
22 Jersey City New Jersey 298,103 Northeast
23 Rochester New York 295,750 Northeast
24 Portland Oregon 258,288 West
25 Denver Colorado 256,491 West
26 Toledo Ohio 243,164 Midwest
27 Providence Rhode Island 237,595 Northeast
28 Columbus Ohio 237,031 Midwest
29 Louisville Kentucky 234,891 South
30 Saint Paul Minnesota 234,698 Midwest
31 Oakland California 216,261 West
32 Akron Ohio 208,435 Midwest
33 Atlanta Georgia 200,616 South
34 Omaha Nebraska 191,601 Midwest
35 Worcester Massachusetts 179,754 Northeast
36 Birmingham Alabama 178,806 South
37 Syracuse New York 171,717 Northeast
38 Richmond Virginia 171,667 South
39 New Haven Connecticut 162,537 Northeast
40 Memphis Tennessee 162,351 South
41 San Antonio Texas 161,379 South
42 Dallas Texas 158,976 South
43 Dayton Ohio 152,559 Midwest
44 Bridgeport Connecticut 143,555 Northeast
45 Houston Texas 138,276 South
46 Hartford Connecticut 138,036 Northeast
47 Scranton Pennsylvania 137,783 Northeast
48 Grand Rapids Michigan 137,634 Midwest
49 Paterson New Jersey 135,875 Northeast
50 Youngstown Ohio 132,358 Midwest
51 Springfield Massachusetts 129,614 Northeast
52 Des Moines Iowa 126,468 Midwest
53 New Bedford Massachusetts 121,217 Northeast
54 Fall River Massachusetts 120,485 Northeast
55 Trenton New Jersey 119,289 Northeast
56 Nashville Tennessee 118,342 South
57 Salt Lake City Utah 118,110 West
58 Camden New Jersey 116,309 Northeast
59 Norfolk Virginia 115,777 South
60 Albany New York 113,344 Northeast
61 Lowell Massachusetts 112,759 Northeast
62 Wilmington Delaware 110,168 South
63 Cambridge Massachusetts 109,694 Northeast
64 Reading Pennsylvania 107,784 Northeast
65 Fort Worth Texas 106,482 South
66 Spokane Washington 104,437 West
67 Kansas City Kansas 101,177 Midwest
68 Yonkers New York 100,176 Northeast
69 Lynn Massachusetts 99,148 Northeast
70 Duluth Minnesota 98,917 Midwest
71 Tacoma Washington 96,965 West
72 Elizabeth New Jersey 95,783 Northeast
73 Lawrence Massachusetts 94,270 Northeast
74 Utica New York 94,156 Northeast
75 Erie Pennsylvania 93,372 Northeast
76 Somerville Massachusetts 93,091 Northeast
77 Waterbury Connecticut 91,715 Northeast
78 Flint Michigan 91,599 Midwest
79 Jacksonville Florida 91,558 South
80 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 91,295 South
81 Schenectady New York 88,723 Northeast
82 Canton Ohio 87,091 Midwest
83 Fort Wayne Indiana 86,549 Midwest
84 Evansville Indiana 85,264 Midwest
85 Savannah Georgia 83,252 South
86 Manchester New Hampshire 78,384 Northeast
87 St. Joseph Missouri 77,939 Midwest
88 Knoxville Tennessee 77,818 South
89 El Paso Texas 77,560 South
90 Bayonne New Jersey 76,754 Northeast
91 Peoria Illinois 76,121 Midwest
92 Harrisburg Pennsylvania 75,917 Northeast
93 San Diego California 74,683 West
94 Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania 73,833 Northeast
95 Allentown Pennsylvania 73,502 Northeast
96 Wichita Kansas 72,217 Midwest
97 Tulsa Oklahoma 72,075 South
98 Troy New York 71,996 Northeast
99 Sioux City Iowa 71,227 Midwest
100 South Bend Indiana 70,983 Midwest

Locations of 50 most populous cities

Data availability

The original census enumeration sheets were microfilmed by the Census Bureau in the 1940s, after which the original sheets were destroyed. [6] The microfilmed census is available in rolls from the National Archives and Records Administration. Several organizations also host images of the microfilmed census online, and digital indices.

Microdata from the 1920 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

Notes

  1. Steuart, William M. (1921). "The Conduct of the Fourteenth Census". Quarterly Publications of the American Statistical Association. 17 (133): 569–583. doi:10.2307/2965317. ISSN   1522-5445.
  2. "History: Urban and Rural". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925". New York State Library. October 1981. pp. 45 (p. 51 of PDF). Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  4. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
  5. "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  6. Algonquin Area Public Library District. "Census Secrets" (PDF). Retrieved May 17, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]