The 1920 United States census , conducted by the Census Bureau during one month from January 5, 1920, determined the resident population of the United States to be 106,021,537, an increase of 15.0 percent over the 92,228,496 persons enumerated during the 1910 census .
The 1920 Census was determined for 1 January 1920. The actual date of the enumeration appears on the heading of each page of the census schedule, but all responses were to reflect the individual's status as of 1 January, even if the status had changed between 1 January and the day of enumeration.
Despite the constitutional requirement that House seats be reapportioned to the states respective of their population every ten years according to the census, members of Congress failed to agree on a reapportionment plan following this census, and the distribution of seats from the 1910 census remained in effect until 1933. In 1929, Congress passed the Reapportionment Act of 1929 which provided for a permanent method of reapportionment and fixed the number of representatives at 435.
This was the first census in which the United States recorded a population of more than 100 million. It was also the first census in which a state—New York —recorded a population of more than ten million.
This census also marked a significant population shift from rural to urban. According to the Census Bureau, "Beginning in 1910, the minimum population threshold to be categorized as an urban place was set at 2,500. "Urban" was defined as including all territory, persons, and housing units within an incorporated area that met the population threshold. The 1920 census marked the first time in which over 50 percent of the U.S. population was defined as "urban."[ 1]
Census questions
The 1920 census collected the following information:[ 2]
Age
Marital status
If foreign born, year of immigration to the U.S., whether naturalized and, if so, year of naturalization
School attendance
Literacy
State of residence
If foreign-born, the mother tongue
Ability to speak English
Occupation, industry, and class of worker
Whether home owned or rented, and, if owned, whether free or mortgaged
Full documentation for the 1920 census, including census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series .
State rankings
Rank
State
Population as of 1920 census
Population as of 1910 census
Change
Percent change
1
File:Flag of New York.svg New York
10,385,227
9,113,614
1,271,613 Increase
14.0% Increase
2
File:Flag of Pennsylvania.svg Pennsylvania
8,720,017
7,665,111
1,054,906 Increase
13.8% Increase
3
File:Flag of Illinois (1915-1969).svg Illinois
6,485,280
5,638,591
846,689 Increase
15.0% Increase
4
File:Flag of Ohio.svg Ohio
5,759,394
4,767,121
992,273 Increase
20.8% Increase
5
File:Flag of Texas.svg Texas
4,663,228
3,896,542
766,686 Increase
19.7% Increase
6
File:Flag of Massachusetts.svg Massachusetts
3,852,356
3,366,416
485,940 Increase
14.4% Increase
7
File:Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan
3,668,412
2,810,173
858,239 Increase
30.5% Increase
8
File:Flag of California.svg California
3,426,865
2,377,549
1,049,312 Increase
44.1% Increase
9
File:Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri
3,404,055
3,293,335
110,720 Increase
3.4% Increase
10
File:Flag of New Jersey.svg New Jersey
3,155,900
2,537,167
618,733 Increase
24.4% Increase
11
File:Flag of Indiana.svg Indiana
2,930,390
2,700,876
229,514 Increase
8.5% Increase
12
File:Flag of the State of Georgia (1920–1956).svg Georgia
2,895,832
2,609,121
286,711 Increase
11.0% Increase
13
File:Flag of Wisconsin (1913–1981).svg Wisconsin
2,632,067
2,333,860
298,207 Increase
12.8% Increase
14
File:Flag of North Carolina (1885–1991).svg North Carolina
2,559,123
2,206,287
352,836 Increase
16.0% Increase
15
File:Flag of Kentucky.svg Kentucky
2,416,630
2,289,905
126,725 Increase
5.5% Increase
16
File:Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa
2,404,021
2,224,771
179,250 Increase
8.1% Increase
17
File:Flag of Minnesota (1893–1957).svg Minnesota
2,387,125
2,075,708
311,417 Increase
15.0% Increase
18
File:Flag of Alabama.svg Alabama
2,348,174
2,138,093
210,081 Increase
9.8% Increase
19
File:Flag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee
2,337,885
2,184,789
153,096 Increase
7.0% Increase
20
File:Flag of Virginia.svg Virginia
2,309,187
2,061,612
247,575 Increase
12.0% Increase
21
File:Flag of Oklahoma (1911–1925).svg Oklahoma
2,028,283
1,657,155
371,128 Increase
22.4% Increase
22
File:Flag of Louisiana.svg Louisiana
1,798,509
1,656,388
142,121 Increase
8.6% Increase
23
File:Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).png Mississippi
1,790,618
1,797,114
-6,496 Decrease
-0.4% Decrease
24
File:Flag of Kansas.svg Kansas
1,769,257
1,690,949
78,308 Increase
4.6% Increase
25
File:Flag of Arkansas (1913).svg Arkansas
1,752,204
1,574,449
177,755 Increase
11.3% Increase
26
File:Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina
1,683,724
1,515,400
168,324 Increase
11.1% Increase
27
File:Flag of West Virginia (1907-1929).png West Virginia
1,463,701
1,221,119
242,582 Increase
19.9% Increase
28
File:Flag of Maryland.svg Maryland
1,449,661
1,295,346
154,315 Increase
11.9% Increase
29
File:Flag of Connecticut.svg Connecticut
1,380,631
1,114,756
265,875 Increase
23.9% Increase
30
File:Flag of Washington.svg Washington
1,356,621
1,141,990
214,631 Increase
18.8% Increase
31
File:Flag of Nebraska.svg Nebraska
1,296,372
1,192,214
104,158 Increase
8.7% Increase
32
File:Flag of Florida (1900-1985).svg Florida
968,470
752,619
215,851 Increase
28.7% Increase
33
File:Flag of Colorado (1911–1964).svg Colorado
939,629
799,024
140,605 Increase
17.6% Increase
34
File:Flag of Oregon.svg Oregon
783,389
672,765
110,624 Increase
16.4% Increase
35
File:Flag of Maine.svg Maine
768,014
742,371
25,643 Increase
3.5% Increase
36
File:Flag of North Dakota.svg North Dakota
646,872
577,056
69,816 Increase
12.1% Increase
37
File:Flag of South Dakota (1909-1963).svg South Dakota
636,547
583,888
52,659 Increase
9.0% Increase
38
File:Flag of Rhode Island.svg Rhode Island
604,397
542,610
61,787 Increase
11.4% Increase
39
File:Flag of Montana (1905-1981).svg Montana
548,889
376,053
172,836 Increase
46.0% Increase
40
File:Flag of Utah (1913–1922).png Utah
449,396
373,351
76,045 Increase
20.4% Increase
41
File:Flag of New Hampshire (1909-1931).png New Hampshire
443,083
430,572
12,511 Increase
2.9% Increase
-
File:Flag of Washington, D.C.svg District of Columbia
437,571
331,069
106,502 Increase
32.2% Increase
42
File:Flag of Idaho.svg Idaho
431,866
325,594
106,272 Increase
32.6% Increase
43
File:Flag of New Mexico.svg New Mexico
360,350
327,301
33,049 Increase
10.1% Increase
44
File:Flag of Vermont.svg Vermont
352,428
355,956
-3,528 Decrease
-1.0% Decrease
45
File:Flag of Arizona.svg Arizona
334,162
204,354
129,808 Increase
63.5% Increase
-
File:Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii
255,881
191,874
64,007 Increase
33.4% Increase
46
File:Flag of Delaware.svg Delaware
223,003
202,322
20,681 Increase
10.2% Increase
47
File:Flag of Wyoming.svg Wyoming
194,402
145,965
48,437 Increase
33.2% Increase
48
File:Flag of Nevada (1915-1929).png Nevada
77,407
81,875
-4,468 Decrease
-5.5% Decrease
-
File:Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska
55,036
64,356
-9,320 Decrease
14.5% Decrease
Territories
City rankings
Rank
City
State
Population[ 3]
Region (2016) [ 4]
01
New York
New York
5,620,048
Northeast
02
Chicago
Illinois
2,701,705
Midwest
03
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
1,823,779
Northeast
04
Detroit
Michigan
993,078
Midwest
05
Cleveland
Ohio
796,841
Midwest
06
St. Louis
Missouri
772,897
Midwest
07
Boston
Massachusetts
748,060
Northeast
08
Baltimore
Maryland
733,826
South
09
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
588,343
Northeast
10
Los Angeles
California
576,673
West
11
Buffalo
New York
506,775
Northeast
12
San Francisco
California
506,676
West
13
Milwaukee
Wisconsin
457,147
Midwest
14
Washington
District of Columbia
437,571
South
15
Newark
New Jersey
414,524
Northeast
16
Cincinnati
Ohio
401,247
Midwest
17
New Orleans
Louisiana
387,219
South
18
Minneapolis
Minnesota
380,582
Midwest
19
Kansas City
Missouri
324,410
Midwest
20
Seattle
Washington
315,312
West
21
Indianapolis
Indiana
314,194
Midwest
22
Jersey City
New Jersey
298,103
Northeast
23
Rochester
New York
295,750
Northeast
24
Portland
Oregon
258,288
West
25
Denver
Colorado
256,491
West
26
Toledo
Ohio
243,164
Midwest
27
Providence
Rhode Island
237,595
Northeast
28
Columbus
Ohio
237,031
Midwest
29
Louisville
Kentucky
234,891
South
30
Saint Paul
Minnesota
234,698
Midwest
31
Oakland
California
216,261
West
32
Akron
Ohio
208,435
Midwest
33
Atlanta
Georgia
200,616
South
34
Omaha
Nebraska
191,601
Midwest
35
Worcester
Massachusetts
179,754
Northeast
36
Birmingham
Alabama
178,806
South
37
Syracuse
New York
171,717
Northeast
38
Richmond
Virginia
171,667
South
39
New Haven
Connecticut
162,537
Northeast
40
Memphis
Tennessee
162,351
South
41
San Antonio
Texas
161,379
South
42
Dallas
Texas
158,976
South
43
Dayton
Ohio
152,559
Midwest
44
Bridgeport
Connecticut
143,555
Northeast
45
Houston
Texas
138,276
South
46
Hartford
Connecticut
138,036
Northeast
47
Scranton
Pennsylvania
137,783
Northeast
48
Grand Rapids
Michigan
137,634
Midwest
49
Paterson
New Jersey
135,875
Northeast
50
Youngstown
Ohio
132,358
Midwest
51
Springfield
Massachusetts
129,614
Northeast
52
Des Moines
Iowa
126,468
Midwest
53
New Bedford
Massachusetts
121,217
Northeast
54
Fall River
Massachusetts
120,485
Northeast
55
Trenton
New Jersey
119,289
Northeast
56
Nashville
Tennessee
118,342
South
57
Salt Lake City
Utah
118,110
West
58
Camden
New Jersey
116,309
Northeast
59
Norfolk
Virginia
115,777
South
60
Albany
New York
113,344
Northeast
61
Lowell
Massachusetts
112,759
Northeast
62
Wilmington
Delaware
110,168
South
63
Cambridge
Massachusetts
109,694
Northeast
64
Reading
Pennsylvania
107,784
Northeast
65
Fort Worth
Texas
106,482
South
66
Spokane
Washington
104,437
West
67
Kansas City
Kansas
101,177
Midwest
68
Yonkers
New York
100,176
Northeast
69
Lynn
Massachusetts
99,148
Northeast
70
Duluth
Minnesota
98,917
Midwest
71
Tacoma
Washington
96,965
West
72
Elizabeth
New Jersey
95,783
Northeast
73
Lawrence
Massachusetts
94,270
Northeast
74
Utica
New York
94,156
Northeast
75
Erie
Pennsylvania
93,372
Northeast
76
Somerville
Massachusetts
93,091
Northeast
77
Waterbury
Connecticut
91,715
Northeast
78
Flint
Michigan
91,599
Midwest
79
Jacksonville
Florida
91,558
South
80
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
91,295
South
81
Schenectady
New York
88,723
Northeast
82
Canton
Ohio
87,091
Midwest
83
Fort Wayne
Indiana
86,549
Midwest
84
Evansville
Indiana
85,264
Midwest
85
Savannah
Georgia
83,252
South
86
Manchester
New Hampshire
78,384
Northeast
87
St. Joseph
Missouri
77,939
Midwest
88
Knoxville
Tennessee
77,818
South
89
El Paso
Texas
77,560
South
90
Bayonne
New Jersey
76,754
Northeast
91
Peoria
Illinois
76,121
Midwest
92
Harrisburg
Pennsylvania
75,917
Northeast
93
San Diego
California
74,683
West
94
Wilkes-Barre
Pennsylvania
73,833
Northeast
95
Allentown
Pennsylvania
73,502
Northeast
96
Wichita
Kansas
72,217
Midwest
97
Tulsa
Oklahoma
72,075
South
98
Troy
New York
71,996
Northeast
99
Sioux City
Iowa
71,227
Midwest
100
South Bend
Indiana
70,983
Midwest
Locations of 50 most populous cities
Data availability
The original census enumeration sheets were microfilmed by the Census Bureau in the 1940s, after which the original sheets were destroyed.[ 5] The microfilmed census is available in rolls from the National Archives and Records Administration . Several organizations also host images of the microfilmed census online, and digital indices.
Microdata from the 1920 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series . Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System .
Notes
↑ "History: Urban and Rural" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2020 .
↑ "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925" . New York State Library . October 1981. pp. 45 (p. 51 of PDF). Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008 .
↑ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 , U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
↑ "Regions and Divisions" . U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .
↑ Algonquin Area Public Library District. "Census Secrets" (PDF) . Retrieved May 17, 2012 . [permanent dead link ]
External links