1800-2000: Largest U.S. Cities, The Westward Migration
Updated Mar 8, 2024
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The following table shows where the population was moving as the country expanded and families became disbursed. In 1800, the largest cities were all in the original 13 colonies. By 1850, some of the “gateway” cities to the west, like Cincinnati, St. Louis, and New Orleans, overtook the eastern cities. By 1900, many people had moved to the Midwest, and early settlement of the West centered in San Francisco. By the mid- to late-1900s, many of the largest cities were in the West and the South.
Top 10 Most Populous Cities in the U.S. 1800-2000
| 13 COLONIES | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 |
| New York, NY | 60,515 | 515,547 | 3,437,202 | 7,891,957 | 8,008,278 |
| Brooklyn, NY* | – | 115,435 | – | – | – |
| Philadelphia, PA | 41,220 | 121,376 | 1,293,697 | 2,071,605 | 1,517,550 |
| Northern Liberties, PA** | 10,718 | – | – | – | – |
| Southwark, PA** | 9,621 | – | – | – | – |
| Spring Garden, PA** | – | 58,894 | – | – | – |
| Boston, MA | 24,937 | 136,881 | 560,892 | 801,444 | – |
| Charleston, SC | 18,824 | – | – | – | – |
| Baltimore, MD | 26,514 | 169,054 | 508,957 | 949,708 | – |
| Washington, DC | – | – | – | 802,178 | – |
| Providence, RI | 7,614 | – | – | – | – |
| Salem, MA | 9,457 | – | – | – | – |
| Norfolk, VA | 6,926 | – | – | – | – |
| Albany, NY | – | 50,763 | – | – | – |
| Buffalo, NY | – | – | 352,387 | – | – |
| MIDWEST | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 | |
| Cincinnati, OH | – | 115,435 | 325,902 | – | – |
| St. Louis, MO | – | 77,860 | 575,238 | 856,796 | – |
| Chicago, IL | – | – | 1,698,575 | 3,620,962 | 2,896,016 |
| Cleveland, OH | – | – | 381,768 | 914,808 | – |
| Detroit, MI | – | – | – | 1,849,568 | 951,270 |
| WEST | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 | |
| San Francisco, CA | – | – | 342,782 | – | – |
| Los Angeles, CA | – | – | – | 1,970,358 | 3,694,820 |
| San Diego, CA | – | – | – | – | 1,223,400 |
| Phoenix, AZ | – | – | – | – | 1,321,045 |
| SOUTH | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 | |
| New Orleans, LA | – | 116,375 | – | – | – |
| Houston, TX | – | – | – | – | 1,953,631 |
| Dallas, TX | – | – | – | – | 1,188,580 |
| San Antonio, TX | – | – | – | – | 1,144,646 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
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