The 1860 United States census was the eighth census conducted in the United States starting June 1, 1860, and lasting five months. It determined the population of the United States to be 31,443,321[1] in 33 states and 10 organized territories. This was an increase of 35.6 percent[1] over the 23,191,876[2] persons enumerated during the 1850 census. The total population included 3,953,760[3] slaves.

Quick Facts General information, Country ...
1860 United States census

 1850 June 1, 1860 (1860-06-01) 1870 

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1860 U.S. census from the state of New York
General information
CountryUnited States
AuthorityCensus Office
Results
Total population31,443,321[1] (Increase 35.6%)
Most populous stateNew York
3,880,735
Least populous stateOregon
52,465
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By the time the 1860 census returns were ready for tabulation, the nation was sinking into the American Civil War. As a result, Census Superintendent Joseph C. G. Kennedy and his staff produced only an abbreviated set of public reports, without graphic or cartographic representations. The statistics did allow the census staff to produce a cartographic display, including preparing maps of Southern states, for Union field commanders. These maps displayed militarily vital topics, including the white population, slave population, predominant agricultural products (by county), and rail and post road transportation routes.

This census saw Philadelphia regain its position as a second-most populous American city, which it had lost to Baltimore in 1820, due to the Act of Consolidation, 1854 merging many smaller surrounding townships, such as Spring Garden, Northern Liberties, and Kensington, into the main city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia would lose the second-most populous American city position to Chicago in 1890.

Census questions

The 1860 census Schedule 1 (Free Inhabitants) was one of two schedules that counted the population of the United States; the other was Schedule 2 (Slave Inhabitants).

Schedule 1 collected the following information:[4]

More information Column, Title ...
Column Title Notes
1Dwelling-houses – numbered in the order of visitation.
2Families numbered in the order of visitation
3The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June 1860, was in this family.
4Description: Age.
5Description: Sex.M or F
6Description: Color, (White, black, or mulatto).W, B or M
7Profession, Occupation, or Trade of each person, male and female, over 15 years of age.
8Value of Estate Owned: Value of Real Estate.
9Value of Estate Owned: Value of Personal Estate.
10Place of Birth, Naming the State, Territory, or Country.
11Married within the year.Marked with '/'
12Attended School within the year.Marked with '/'
13Persons over 20 years of age who can not read and write.Marked with '/'
14Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.
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Schedule 2 (Slave Inhabitants) collected the following information:[5]

More information Column, Title ...
Column Title Notes
1Name of slave owner
2Number of slaves
3Age
4Sex
5Color
6Fugitive from the stateMarked with '/'
7Number Manumitted
8Deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic
9Number of slave houses
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Data availability

Full documentation for the 1860 population census, including microdata, census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). Aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

Common occupations

National data reveals that farmers (owners and tenants) made up nearly 10% of utilized occupations. Farm laborers (wage workers) represent the next highest percent with 3.2%, followed by general laborers at 3.0%.[6]

More localized data shows that other occupations were common. In the town of Essex, Massachusetts, a large section of the women in the labor force were devoted to shoe-binding, while for men the common occupations were farming and shoe-making.[7] This heavy demand of shoe-related labor reinforces the high demand for rigorous physical laborers in the economy, as supported by the data of very large amounts of farm related work as compared to most other labor options.

IPUMS' data also notes that the share of the population that had been enrolled in school or marked as "Student" stood at 0.2%. This demonstrates a small rate of growth, if any, in the proficiency of the human capital of the time—the skill set a worker has to apply to the labor force, which can increase total output through increased efficiency.

The census of 1860 was the last in which much of Southern wealth was held as slaves—still legally considered property.

Population of U.S. states and territories

More information Rank, State ...
Population of the US States and Territories[8][9][10][11]
RankStateFree PopulationSlave PopulationPopulationPercentage Enslaved
01New York3,880,73503,880,7350
02Pennsylvania2,906,21502,906,2150
03Ohio2,339,51102,339,5110
04Illinois1,711,95101,711,9510
05Virginia1,105,453490,8651,596,31830.7
06Indiana1,350,42801,350,4280
07Massachusetts1,231,06601,231,0660
08Missouri1,067,081114,9311,182,0129.7
09Kentucky930,201225,4831,155,68419.5
10Tennessee834,082275,7191,109,80124.8
11Georgia595,088462,1981,057,28643.7
12North Carolina661,563331,059992,62233.4
13Alabama529,121435,080964,20145.1
14Mississippi354,674436,631791,30555.2
15Wisconsin775,8810775,8810
16Michigan749,1130749,1130
17Louisiana376,276331,726708,00246.9
18South Carolina301,302402,406703,70857.2
19Maryland599,86087,189687,04912.7
20Iowa674,9130674,9130
21New Jersey672,01718672,0350.01
22Maine628,2790628,2790
23Texas421,649182,566604,21530.2
24Connecticut460,1470460,1470
25Arkansas324,335111,115435,45025.5
26California379,9940379,9940
27New Hampshire326,0730326,0730
28Vermont315,0980315,0980
29Rhode Island174,6200174,6200
30Minnesota172,0230172,0230
31Florida78,67961,745140,42444.0
32Delaware110,4181,798112,2161.6
33Oregon52,465052,4650
XKansas Territory[12]107,2042107,2060.01
XNew Mexico Territory93,516093,5160
XDistrict of Columbia71,9853,18575,0804.4
XUtah Territory40,1842940,2730.07
XColorado Territory34,277034,2770
XNebraska Territory28,8261528,8410.01
XWashington Territory11,594011,5940
XNevada Territory6,85706,8570
XDakota Territory4,83704,8370
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City rankings

More information Rank, City ...
RankCityStatePopulation[13]Region (2016)[14]
01New YorkNew York813,669Northeast
02PhiladelphiaPennsylvania565,529Northeast
03BrooklynNew York266,661Northeast
04BaltimoreMaryland212,418South
05BostonMassachusetts177,840Northeast
06New OrleansLouisiana168,675South
07CincinnatiOhio161,044Midwest
08St. LouisMissouri160,773Midwest
09ChicagoIllinois112,172Midwest
10BuffaloNew York81,129Northeast
11NewarkNew Jersey71,941Northeast
12LouisvilleKentucky68,033South
13AlbanyNew York62,367Northeast
14WashingtonDistrict of Columbia61,122South
15San FranciscoCalifornia56,802West
16ProvidenceRhode Island50,666Northeast
17PittsburghPennsylvania49,221Northeast
18RochesterNew York48,204Northeast
19DetroitMichigan45,619Midwest
20MilwaukeeWisconsin45,246Midwest
21ClevelandOhio43,417Midwest
22CharlestonSouth Carolina40,522South
23New HavenConnecticut39,267Northeast
24TroyNew York39,235Northeast
25RichmondVirginia37,910South
26LowellMassachusetts36,827Northeast
27MobileAlabama29,258South
28Jersey CityNew Jersey29,226Northeast
29HartfordConnecticut29,152Northeast
30AlleghenyPennsylvania28,702Northeast
31SyracuseNew York28,119Northeast
32PortlandMaine26,341Northeast
33CambridgeMassachusetts26,060Northeast
34RoxburyMassachusetts25,137Northeast
35CharlestownMassachusetts25,065Northeast
36WorcesterMassachusetts24,960Northeast
37ReadingPennsylvania23,162Northeast
38MemphisTennessee22,623South
39UticaNew York22,529Northeast
40New BedfordMassachusetts22,300Northeast
41SavannahGeorgia22,292South
42SalemMassachusetts22,252Northeast
43WilmingtonDelaware21,258South
44ManchesterNew Hampshire20,107Northeast
45DaytonOhio20,081Midwest
46PatersonNew Jersey19,586Northeast
47LynnMassachusetts19,083Northeast
48IndianapolisIndiana18,611Midwest
49ColumbusOhio18,554Midwest
50PetersburgVirginia18,266South
51LawrenceMassachusetts17,639Northeast
52LancasterPennsylvania17,603Northeast
53TrentonNew Jersey17,228Northeast
54NashvilleTennessee16,988South
55OswegoNew York16,816Northeast
56KingstonNew York16,640Northeast
57CovingtonKentucky16,471South
58BangorMaine16,407Northeast
59TauntonMassachusetts15,376Northeast
60SpringfieldMassachusetts15,199Northeast
61PoughkeepsieNew York14,726Northeast
62NorfolkVirginia14,620South
63CamdenNew Jersey14,358Northeast
64WheelingVirginia14,083South
65NorwichConnecticut14,048Northeast
66PeoriaIllinois14,045Midwest
67Fall RiverMassachusetts14,026Northeast
68SacramentoCalifornia13,785West
69ToledoOhio13,768Midwest
70NewtownNew York13,725Northeast
71QuincyIllinois13,718Midwest
72HarrisburgPennsylvania13,405Northeast
73NewburyportMassachusetts13,401Northeast
74ChelseaMassachusetts13,395Northeast
75BridgeportConnecticut13,299Northeast
76SmithfieldRhode Island13,283Northeast
77DubuqueIowa13,000Midwest
78AlexandriaVirginia12,652South
79New AlbanyIndiana12,647Midwest
80NewburghNew York12,578Northeast
81AugustaGeorgia12,493South
82HempsteadNew York12,376Northeast
83YonkersNew York11,848Northeast
84North ProvidenceRhode Island11,818Northeast
85ElizabethNew Jersey11,567Northeast
86EvansvilleIndiana11,484Midwest
87DavenportIowa11,267Midwest
88New BrunswickNew Jersey11,256Northeast
89AuburnNew York10,986Northeast
90GloucesterMassachusetts10,904Northeast
91ConcordNew Hampshire10,896Northeast
92LockportNew York10,871Northeast
93NewportRhode Island10,508Northeast
94Saint PaulMinnesota10,401Midwest
95FlushingNew York10,188Northeast
96New LondonConnecticut10,115Northeast
97CortlandtNew York10,074Northeast
98NashuaNew Hampshire10,065Northeast
99NewportKentucky10,046South
100WaterburyConnecticut10,004Northeast
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See also

Notes

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