1830 United States census
fifth U.S. census
The 1830 United States census, the fifth census undertaken in the United States, was conducted on June 1, 1830. The only loss of census records for 1830 involved some countywide losses in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Mississippi.
It determined the population of the 24 states to be 12,866,020, of which 2,009,043 were slaves. The center of population was about 170 miles (274 km) west of Washington, D.C. in present-day Grant County, West Virginia.
This was the first census in which a city—New York—recorded a population of over 200,000.
Census questions
The 1830 census asked these questions:
Name of head of family
Address
Number of free white males and females
in five-year age groups to age 20
in 10-year age groups from 20 to 100
100 years and older
number of slaves and free colored persons in six age groups
number of deaf and dumb
under 14 years old
14 to 24 years old
25 years and older
number of blind
foreigners not naturalized
Data availability
No microdata from the 1830 population census are available, but aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.
State rankings
Apportionment Populations
In the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 states:
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.
In order to correctly apportion Representatives pursuant to this Census, it was necessary for the Census to compute not only the total population of each state, but the number of free persons and slaves, and then to compute the apportionment population, or Federal number, for each state (and territory) by adding three-fifths of the slave population to the free population.
“1830 United States census” enters the record as fifth U.S. census. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what United, States and census can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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