List of largest cities of U.S. states and territories by historical population

Population tables of U.S. cities
The skyline of New York City, the most populous city in the United States
Cities
Population Area Density Ethnic identity Foreign-born Income Spanish speakers capitals By decade By state By decade/state
Urban areas
Populous cities and metropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas
563 primary statistical areas 175 combined statistical areas 939 core-based statistical areas 384 metropolitan statistical areas 547 micropolitan statistical areas
Megaregions
See related population lists North American metro areas World cities States and territories
v t e

This is a list of the largest cities in each U.S. state and territory by historical population, as enumerated every decade by the United States Census, starting with the 1790 Census. Data for the tables below is drawn from U.S. Census Bureau reports. For the 1990 Census and earlier, the primary resource is the 2005 Working Paper number POP-WP076.^[1] Post-1990 data, as well as data for territories, is drawn from the respective year's Census. Some locales may have pre-existed their first appearance in the U.S. Census, but such values are not included here, unless otherwise noted.

Total population counts for the Censuses of 1790 through 1860 include both free and enslaved persons. Native Americans were not identified in the Census of 1790 through 1840 and only sporadically from 1850 until 1890 if they lived outside of Indian Territory or off reservations. Beginning with the 1900 census, Native Americans were fully enumerated along with the general population.^[2] Shaded areas of the tables indicate census years when a territory or the part of another state had not yet been admitted as a new state.^[a]

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