1870 United States census

The 1870 United States census was the ninth United States census. It happened between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871. People worked for the Census Office to count everyone.

This census was important because it shared new details about the African American population for the first time. This was just five years after the Civil War ended and slaves were freed.

During the census, people counted 38,925,598 living in the United States. Most of them, 38,558,371, lived in homes. This was a big increase, about 22.6%, from the count in 1860.

Some people felt the 1870 census did not count everyone right, especially in places like New York and Pennsylvania. It was also a big change because all 100 of the largest cities now had more than 10,000 people. This was the last time the federal census used the US Marshal Service to collect information.

Census Act of 1850

The Census Act of 1850 created the main system for the ninth census. The Census Office, part of the Department of the Interior, handled the recording and organizing of results. Assistant marshals collected the information and were supervised by federal marshals. In the 1870 census, two new rules were added. Marshals had to send back the finished questionnaires by September. There were also stricter penalties for not answering questions on the forms.

Census organization

The 1870 United States census was organized to show changes in American society after the Civil War. It included five main areas: General Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics.

The number of people in the United States grew to 38,555,983 in 1870. The census also recorded where people were born, showing many immigrants lived in cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco. This helped show how the country's population was changing.

Census results

The census did not count Native Americans living on government reservations or people in the newly acquired district of Alaska.

The total population numbers from the census were used to decide how many representatives each state would have in Congress.

Census questions

The 1870 United States census asked people for basic information like their names, age, sex, and where they were born. It also asked about their jobs, how much their homes and property were worth, and whether they went to school.

The census checked if people could read or write and noted any special needs they might have. It also looked at voting rights for men over 21. You can find more details about these questions from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Population undercount

When the 1870 United States census was done, some people were unhappy. They thought not everyone was counted, especially in big cities like New York and Philadelphia. The President asked these cities to be counted again, but only a few more people were found.

Later, people noticed the number of people growing between 1870 and 1880 seemed too high. Some thought the 1870 count was too low by over 1.2 million people. But today, experts think the problem wasn’t as big as people thought back then. They say it’s like when some people today might not answer when someone comes to count them.

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