1890 United States census
The 1890 United States census began on June 2, 1890, and counted about 63 million people—roughly 25% more than in 1880. It declared that the American frontier had disappeared, and no longer needed to be tracked as a frontier.
New York was the most populous state, while Nevada was the least. The three largest cities—New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia—each had populations over one million, with Chicago rising to become the second-largest city (a rank it would keep until Los Angeles surpassed it in 1990).
This census was the first to use Herman Hollerith’s punched-card machines to tabulate data, speeding up processing. The total population figure was announced after about six weeks of processing. It also reported 248,253 Native Americans, down from 400,764 in 1850.
Many historians say the 1890 tally likely undercounted certain groups, especially African Americans, working-class people, and young children.
Most of the original 1890 census records were destroyed by a 1921 fire, and the surviving materials were largely deleted by 1934–1935. Because of this, only a few microdata sets remain, though some aggregate data and boundary files can be found online today.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:36 (CET).