The US Census Bureau thread

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Yuri

Give me a number to illustrate it.

Its growth was 1.8% between 2020-2024. What's your bet for the second half of the decade? What will make Minneapolis' growth surge while the US as a whole will certainly have a much weaker second half?

You know just as well as I do that the census bureau annual estimates are highly prone to error. Minneapolis has a looooong track record of over performing the national growth rate. There has been no economic (a la Rust Belt) or national disaster (a la New Orleans) shock that disproportionately affected Minneapolis over other parts of the country to explain why it would deviate from that pattern.

[Velvet_Highground]

Originally Posted by JManc

Yeah, Canadians from the Prairies are just built different.

It’s 55 in Edmonton today must be quite a shock to the system bet there’s sunbathers laying out in the snow.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

You know just as well as I do that the census bureau annual estimates are highly prone to error. Minneapolis has a looooong track record of over performing the national growth rate. There has been no economic (a la Rust Belt) or national disaster (a la New Orleans) shock that disproportionately affected Minneapolis over other parts of the country to explain why it would deviate from that pattern.

I will bet 4.5% growth for the US this decade. 5% for Minneapolis is above average. Anything above this will be the opposite: Minneapolis performing way away above national average.

[Yuri]

The "several Texas":

--------------------- 2020 ----- 2010 ----- 2000 ----- 1990 ----- Growth

TEXAS ---------- 29,145,505 - 25,145,561 - 20,851,820 - 16,986,510 - 15.9% - 20.6% - 22.8%

Dallas ---------- 7,993,652 -- 6,686,897 -- 5,446,666 -- 4,226,590 - 19.5% - 22.8% - 28.9%
Houston --------- 7,226,042 -- 6,014,661 -- 4,777,165 -- 3,818,172 - 20.1% - 25.9% - 25.1%
San Antonio ----- 2,558,143 -- 2,142,508 -- 1,711,703 -- 1,407,745 - 19.4% - 25.2% - 21.6%
Austin ---------- 2,283,371 -- 1,716,309 -- 1,249,763 ---- 846,227 - 33.0% - 37.3% - 47.7%
Killeen ----------- 475,367 ---- 405,300 ---- 330,714 ---- 268,822 - 17.3% - 22.6% - 23.0%
Brazos Valley ----- 362,495 ---- 319,447 ---- 267,085 ---- 219,576 - 13.5% - 19.6% - 21.6%
Waco -------------- 295,782 ---- 270,984 ---- 249,297 ---- 221,960 -- 9.2% -- 8.7% - 12.3%

South TX Border - 1,377,883 -- 1,264,091 ---- 978,369 ---- 701,888 -- 9.0% - 29.2% - 39.4%
El Paso ----------- 865,657 ---- 800,647 ---- 679,622 ---- 591,610 -- 8.1% - 17.8% - 14.9%

Rest of Texas --- 5,707,113 -- 5,524,717 -- 5,161,436 -- 4,683,920 -- 3.3% -- 7.0% - 10.2%

I've came back to my US tables. After finishing metro areas with the whole possible definitions, grouping UAs, measuring city's districts populations, I decided to zoom out and check some US regions and intra-state divisions. Here for example, where we've seen East Coast growing faster than the West Coast for the first time ever:

Originally Posted by Yuri

East Coast vs West Coast

(...)

Back to Texas, I picked up several county-groupings, from the Texas Triangle, with one side of it contiguous between Dallas and San Antonio (via Waco, Killeen and Austin) and only two small interruptions on the other two sides of it, between Houston/Brazos and Dallas and Houston/Brazos and Austin. El Paso is one county only and the South Texas Border are the the 4 southernmost counties.

Anyway, we can see Texas has slowed considerably between 2010-2020 on comparison with the previous decade, but that affected disproportionally the "Rest of Texas", where in absolute numbers growth plunged from 360k (2010-2020) to 180k (2010-2020) only. it almost certainly will face population decline between 2020-2030.

Other major contribution for the slowing down is the two main urban regions outside Texas Triangle. Growth at South Texas Border and El Paso plunged dramatically, showing that growth poorer areas, with non-sophisticated economies, cannot keep growing counting on the growth itself to create a positive feedback loop. We all know the US is entering on unchartered waters regarding demographics, so it's difficult to predict things now, but the way the population curve is behaving, I believe they might reach zero growth this decade.

And finally the Texas Triangle, the big star. We see all components slowed down, but at a much smoother way. Waco was exception and this show clearly how this Triangle are morphing into some sort of a system. This acceleration in Waco shows this and hence the growth rates are converging. Note how both Dallas and Houston had each less people than the Rest of the Texas in 1990 and now they're considerably more populated. The San Antonio-Austin-Killeen axis had just above 50% of the Rest of Texas (1990) and now they're about to overtake it.

The Texas Triangle, as I defined, accounts for 73% of the state population. That's more than New York metro area inside New York state (65%), Chicago metro area inside Illinois (68%) and very close to Boston metro area (including Worcester) inside Massachusetts (76%), to mention 3 examples of very centralized states. And the Boston-Worcester becomes way less impressive when we consider it actually comprises 50% of the state land area.

[Yuri]

The Economist:

The Midwest’s remarkable turnaround
For the first time in 70 years, more Americans are coming than going

The 2020 Census already offered a glimpse of it, with both Ohio and Michigan (the most challenged ones) accelerating compared to the previous decade and Midwest-adjacent metro areas like Buffalo and Pittsburgh posting growth for the first time in decades.

It will be interesting to watch.

[Steely Dan]

^ this is so damn exciting!

I can't 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 wait until Peoria becomes a "MegaCity"™.

[Yuri]

US Largest Cities (1790-1850)

I reconstructed many areas (Philadelphia, Boston, Washington+Georgetown, New Orleans+Lafayette, Cincinnati, etc.):

1790

Philadelphia --- 47,813 --- 59 km²
Nova York ------ 33,131 --- 59 km²
Boston --------- 24,244 --- 55 km²
Charleston ----- 16,359 --- 14 km²
Baltimore ------ 13,503 --- 26 km²
Albany ---------- 3,498 --- 48 km²
Newark ---------- 3,200 --- 25 km²
Washington ------ 2,993 --- 26 km²
Brooklyn -------- 2,443 --- 47 km²
New Orleans --------------- 27 km²
Cincinnati ---------------- 30 km²
St. Louis ----------------- 22 km²
Chicago ------------------- 27 km²

1800

Philadelphia --- 66,107 --- 38.3%
Nova York ------ 60,489 --- 82.6%
Boston --------- 32,906 --- 35.7%
Baltimore ------ 26,514 --- 96.4%
Charleston ----- 18,824 --- 15.1%
Washington ------ 6,203 -- 107.3%
Albany ---------- 5,349 --- 52.9%
Brooklyn -------- 3,284 --- 34.4%
Newark ---------- 3,850 --- 20.3%
Cincinnati ------ 1,123

1810

Nova York ------ 96,373 --- 59.3%
Philadelphia --- 94,778 --- 43.4%
Baltimore ------ 46,555 --- 75.6%
Boston --------- 44,738 --- 36.0%
Charleston ----- 24,711 --- 31.3%
New Orleans ---- 17,242
Washington ----- 13,156 -- 112.1%
Albany ---------- 9,356 --- 74.9%
Brooklyn -------- 5,245 --- 59.7%
Newark ---------- 5,200 --- 35.1%
Cincinnati ------ 3,670 -- 226.8%
St. Louis ------- 1,600

1820

Nova York ----- 123,706 --- 28.4%
Philadelphia -- 118,977 --- 25.5%
Baltimore ------ 62,738 --- 34.8%
Boston --------- 57,319 --- 28.1%
Charleston ----- 27,980 --- 13.2%
New Orleans ---- 27,176	--- 57.6%
Washington ----- 20,580 --- 56.4%
Albany --------- 12,630 --- 35.0%
Cincinnati ----- 12,185 -- 232.0%
Brooklyn -------- 8,402 --- 60.2%
Newark ---------- 5,600 ---- 7.7%
St. Louis ------- 4,598 -- 187.4%

1830

Nova York ----- 202,589 --- 63.8%
Philadelphia -- 173,783 --- 46.1%
Boston --------- 81,494 --- 42.2%
Baltimore ------ 80,620 --- 28.5%
New Orleans ---- 46,082	--- 69.6%
Charleston ----- 35,789 --- 27.9%
Cincinnati ----- 30,573 -- 150.9%
Washington ----- 27,271 --- 32.5%
Albany --------- 24,209 --- 91.7%
Brooklyn ------- 17,211 -- 104.8%
Newark ---------- 9,500 --- 69.6%
St. Louis ------- 8,500 --- 84.9%
Chicago ----------- 100

1840

Nova York ----- 312,710 --- 54.4%
Philadelphia -- 235,696 --- 35.6%
Boston -------- 122,365 --- 50.2%
New Orleans --- 105,400	-- 128.7%
Baltimore ----- 102,313 --- 26.9%
Cincinnati ----- 67,045 -- 119.3%
Brooklyn ------- 42,613 -- 147.6%
Charleston ----- 41,161 --- 15.0%
Albany --------- 33,721 --- 39.3%
Washington ----- 30,676 --- 12.5%
St. Louis ------ 22,500 -- 164.7%
Newark --------- 17,290 --- 82.0%
Chicago --------- 4,470

1850

Nova York ----- 515,547 --- 64.9%
Philadelphia -- 389,801 --- 65.4%
Boston -------- 187,685 --- 53.4%
Baltimore ----- 169,054 --- 65.2%
Cincinnati ---- 133,962 -- 118.5%
Brooklyn ------ 131,357 -- 208.2%
New Orleans --- 130,565	--- 23.9%
St. Louis ------ 95,860 -- 326.0%
Albany --------- 50,763 --- 50.5%
Washington ----- 48,313 --- 57.5%
Charleston ----- 42,985 ---- 4.4%
Newark --------- 38,894 -- 125.0%
Chicago -------- 29,963 -- 570.3%

I will update it later. Biggest impact with the rearrangement it's in Philadelphia.

Just by looking the growth curves you can easily see the economic history of the US happening. I'll add others later.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Yuri

US Largest Cities (1790-1850)

I reconstructed many areas (Philadelphia, Boston, Washington+Georgetown, New Orleans+Lafayette, Cincinnati, etc.):

1790

Philadelphia --- 47,813 --- 59 km²
Nova York ------ 33,131 --- 59 km²
Boston --------- 24,244 --- 55 km²
Charleston ----- 16,359 --- 14 km²
Baltimore ------ 13,503 --- 26 km²
Albany ---------- 3,498 --- 48 km²
Newark ---------- 3,200 --- 25 km²
Washington ------ 2,993 --- 26 km²
Brooklyn -------- 2,443 --- 47 km²
New Orleans --------------- 27 km²
Cincinnati ---------------- 30 km²
St. Louis ----------------- 22 km²
Chicago ------------------- 27 km²

1800

Philadelphia --- 66,107 --- 38.3%
Nova York ------ 60,489 --- 82.6%
Boston --------- 32,906 --- 35.7%
Baltimore ------ 26,514 --- 96.4%
Charleston ----- 18,824 --- 15.1%
Washington ------ 6,203 -- 107.3%
Albany ---------- 5,349 --- 52.9%
Brooklyn -------- 3,284 --- 34.4%
Newark ---------- 3,850 --- 20.3%
Cincinnati ------ 1,123

...

I will update it later. Biggest impact with the rearrangement it's in Philadelphia.

Just by looking the growth curves you can easily see the economic history of the US happening. I'll add others later.

I think you're only counting Manhattan for New York here. The town of Brooklyn had around 5k people in 1790 and 1800. It was roughly where downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO are today, so it was effectively the same "city" as New York. This was before Brooklyn became coterminous with Kings County.

Over time there were other cities and towns in Kings County prior to the amalgamation in 1898 besides just Brooklyn. After the amalgamation many of the names of those cities and towns (Williamsburg, Bushwick, Flatbush, etc) retained their names but as neighborhoods inside the borough.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I think you're only counting Manhattan for New York here. The town of Brooklyn had around 5k people in 1790 and 1800. It was roughly where downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO are today, so it was effectively the same "city" as New York. This was before Brooklyn became coterminous with Kings County.

Over time there were other cities and towns in Kings County prior to the amalgamation in 1898 besides just Brooklyn. After the amalgamation many of the names of those cities and towns (Williamsburg, Bushwick, Flatbush, etc) retained their names but as neighborhoods inside the borough.

Only Manhattan. I brought Brooklyn separated and includes the City, Williamsburg e Bushwick.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Yuri

Only Manhattan. I brought Brooklyn separated and includes the City, Williamsburg e Bushwick.

It's not quite apples-to-apples if you consolidated the Philadelphia cities. Philadelphia as an urban area was larger than New York in 1790 but I think by 1800 they were either neck-and-neck or New York was already slightly ahead.

[Crawford]

Yeah, I'm sure the Census data was terrible back then, but most observers seem to think NY was larger by about 1790 or so, and the two weren't really comparable from 1800 onward. This has the two cities roughly similar as late as 1840, which seems unlikely.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Yeah, I'm sure the Census data was terrible back then, but most observers seem to think NY was larger by about 1790 or so, and the two weren't really comparable from 1800 onward. This has the two cities roughly similar as late as 1840, which seems unlikely.

Philly was larger in 1790 by just about any measure, but New York was likely ahead by 1800, almost certainly ahead by 1810, and absolutely without a doubt ahead by 1820. Kings County began to rapidly urbanize in the early 1800s so it has to be considered to give an accurate apples-to-apples representation of the urban population.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

It's not quite apples-to-apples if you consolidated the Philadelphia cities. Philadelphia as an urban area was larger than New York in 1790 but I think by 1800 they were either neck-and-neck or New York was already slightly ahead.

But you can add Brooklyn numbers to New York's. It's a fixed area and I added it for every single census. Brooklyn only makes a big difference in 1840 and 1850.

Regarding New York and Philadelphia, note they cover exactly the same area: km². We indeed captured rural population in the first censuses in Philadelphia but we did the same in Manhattan as well.

For Philadelphia is the City, Northern Liberties, Southwark, Spring Garden, Moy... (don't know how to write), Kensington and Penn (district and township).

Originally Posted by Crawford

Yeah, I'm sure the Census data was terrible back then, but most observers seem to think NY was larger by about 1790 or so, and the two weren't really comparable from 1800 onward. This has the two cities roughly similar as late as 1840, which seems unlikely.

I used the exactly same area for both. And on the first censuses, only Northern Liberties and Southwark makes big difference on Philadelphia's population numbers. They put together have about 9 km² as opposed to the 59 km² of Manhattan.

Philadelphia had only 5 km² till 1854. It was only the strip of land between the rivers and Vine and South streets. Numbers I brought are way more representative of the real size of each city.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Philly was larger in 1790 by just about any measure, but New York was likely ahead by 1800, almost certainly ahead by 1810, and absolutely without a doubt ahead by 1820. Kings County began to rapidly urbanize in the early 1800s so it has to be considered to give an accurate apples-to-apples representation of the urban population.

On my tables New York shows up ahead Philadelphia since 1810 even without Brooklyn.

In 1800, New York only be ahead if you exclude the heavily urbanized Northern Liberties and Southwark whereas New York urban area ended around Chambers Street and its numbers included a massive rural area covering the whole Manhattan.

[IcedCowboyCoffee]

Looks like we'll get the MSAs & counties estimates on March 26th:

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/population-estimates-embargo.html

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by Yuri

US Largest Cities (1790-1850)

I reconstructed many areas (Philadelphia, Boston, Washington+Georgetown, New Orleans+Lafayette, Cincinnati, etc.):

(...)

I decided to look back in time and there were only 4 cities above 10,000:

Philadelphia ----- 28,000 (1775)

Nova York -------- 21,863 (1771)

Boston ----------- 15,520 (1765)

Charleston ------- 10,863 (1770)

Newport ----------- 9,209 (1774)

Baltimore --------- 6,737 (1776)

And comparing with Brazilian ones around the same period:

Rio de Janeiro --- 43,376 (1799)

Salvador --------- 35,253 (1775)

Recife ----------- 19,000 (1790)

São Luís --------- 11,450 (1798)

Belém ------------ 10,620 (1778)

Ouro Preto -------- 8,500 (1776)

São Paulo --------- 8,000 (1794)

Mariana ----------- 7,500 (1776)

Paraty ------------ 5,500 (1790)

Porto Alegre ------ 4,500 (1798)

Cuiabá ------------ 4,500 (1790)

Olinda ------------ 4,000 (1790)

Florianópolis ----- 3,000 (1790)

Santos ------------ 2,200 (1765)

[iheartthed]

^Rio was much more important to the Portuguese Empire than the cities in Colonial America were to the British Empire. New York and Philadelphia were much more important in the United States than they were as possessions of the British crown.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

And then there's Winterpeg.

Which makes Minneapolis look like Miami.

• Video Link

[Yuri]

US Largest Cities (1790-1850)

Resuming the list. Pittsburgh, Louisville, Buffalo, Rochester, Troy, Syracuse and a correction on Albany:

1790

Philadelphia --- 47,813 --- 59 km²
Nova York ------ 33,131 --- 59 km²
Boston --------- 24,244 --- 55 km²
Charleston ----- 16,359 --- 14 km²
Baltimore ------ 13,503 --- 26 km²
Albany ---------- 3,748 --- 52 km²
Newark ---------- 3,200 --- 25 km²
Washington ------ 2,993 --- 26 km²
Brooklyn -------- 2,443 --- 47 km²
Louisville -------- 200 --- 20 km²
Buffalo ------------------- 23 km²
Chicago ------------------- 27 km²
Cincinnati ---------------- 30 km²
New Orleans --------------- 27 km²
Pittsburgh ---------------- 14 km²
St. Louis ----------------- 22 km²
Rochester ----------------- 12 km²
Syracuse ------------------ 14 km²
Troy ---------------------- 13 km²

1800

Philadelphia --- 66,107 --- 38.3%
Nova York ------ 60,489 --- 82.6%
Boston --------- 32,906 --- 35.7%
Baltimore ------ 26,514 --- 96.4%
Charleston ----- 18,824 --- 15.1%
Washington ------ 6,203 -- 107.3%
Albany ---------- 5,749 --- 53.4%
Brooklyn -------- 3,284 --- 34.4%
Newark ---------- 3,850 --- 20.3%
Troy ------------ 2,665
Pittsburgh ------ 1,565 
Cincinnati ------ 1,123
Louisville -------- 359 --- 79.5%

1810

Nova York ------ 96,373 --- 59.3%
Philadelphia --- 94,778 --- 43.4%
Baltimore ------ 46,555 --- 75.6%
Boston --------- 44,738 --- 36.0%
Charleston ----- 24,711 --- 31.3%
New Orleans ---- 17,242
Washington ----- 13,156 -- 112.1%
Albany --------- 10,006 --- 74.0%
Troy ------------ 6,400 -- 141.1%
Brooklyn -------- 5,245 --- 59.7%
Newark ---------- 5,200 --- 35.1%
Pittsburgh ------ 4,768 -- 204.7%
Cincinnati ------ 3,670 -- 226.8%
St. Louis ------- 1,600
Louisville ------ 1,532 -- 298.2% 
Buffalo --------- 1,508
Rochester ------- 1,001
Syracuse ---------- 550

1820

Nova York ----- 123,706 --- 28.4%
Philadelphia -- 118,977 --- 25.5%
Baltimore ------ 62,738 --- 34.8%
Boston --------- 57,319 --- 28.1%
Charleston ----- 27,980 --- 13.2%
New Orleans ---- 27,176	--- 57.6%
Washington ----- 20,580 --- 56.4%
Albany --------- 13,480 --- 34.7%
Cincinnati ----- 12,185 -- 232.0%
Troy ------------ 8,448 --- 32.0%
Brooklyn -------- 8,402 --- 60.2%
Pittsburgh ------ 8,196 --- 71.9%
Louisville ------ 6,101 -- 123.8% 
Newark ---------- 5,600 ---- 7.7%
St. Louis ------- 4,598 -- 187.4%
Buffalo --------- 2,915 --- 93.3%
Syracuse -------- 1,814 -- 229.8%
Rochester ------- 1,502 --- 50.0%

1830

Nova York ----- 202,589 --- 63.8%
Philadelphia -- 173,783 --- 46.1%
Boston --------- 81,494 --- 42.2%
Baltimore ------ 80,620 --- 28.5%
New Orleans ---- 46,082	--- 69.6%
Charleston ----- 35,789 --- 27.9%
Cincinnati ----- 30,573 -- 150.9%
Washington ----- 27,271 --- 32.5%
Albany --------- 25,309 --- 87.8%
Brooklyn ------- 17,211 -- 104.8%
Troy ----------- 16,634 --- 96.9%
Pittsburgh ----- 16,313 --- 99.0%
Louisville ----- 14,882 -- 143.9%
Buffalo -------- 10,706 -- 104.0%
Newark ---------- 9,500 --- 69.6%
Rochester ------- 9,207	-- 513.0%
St. Louis ------- 8,500 --- 84.9%
Syracuse -------- 6,929 -- 282.0%
Chicago ----------- 100

1840

Nova York ----- 312,710 --- 54.4%
Philadelphia -- 235,696 --- 35.6%
Boston -------- 122,365 --- 50.2%
New Orleans --- 105,400	-- 128.7%
Baltimore ----- 102,313 --- 26.9%
Cincinnati ----- 67,045 -- 119.3%
Brooklyn ------- 42,613 -- 147.6%
Charleston ----- 41,161 --- 15.0%
Albany --------- 35,171 --- 39.0%
Pittsburgh ----- 34,789 -- 113.3%
Louisville ----- 33,310 -- 123.8%
Washington ----- 30,676 --- 12.5%
Troy ----------- 28,618 --- 72.0%
St. Louis ------ 22,500 -- 164.7%
Buffalo -------- 21,838 -- 104.0%
Rochester ------ 20,191	-- 119.3%
Newark --------- 17,290 --- 82.0%
Syracuse ------- 11,014 --- 58.9%
Chicago --------- 4,470

1850

Nova York ----- 515,547 --- 64.9%
Philadelphia -- 389,801 --- 65.4%
Boston -------- 187,685 --- 53.4%
Baltimore ----- 169,054 --- 65.2%
Cincinnati ---- 133,962 -- 118.5%
Brooklyn ------ 131,357 -- 208.2%
New Orleans --- 130,565	--- 23.9%
St. Louis ------ 95,860 -- 326.0%
Pittsburgh ----- 79,113 -- 127.4%
Louisville ----- 59,284 --- 78.0%
Albany --------- 54,127 --- 53.9%
Buffalo -------- 49,769 -- 127.9%
Washington ----- 48,313 --- 57.5%
Charleston ----- 42,985 ---- 4.4%
Troy ----------- 42,101 --- 47.1%
Newark --------- 38,894 -- 125.0%
Rochester ------ 36,403	--- 80.3%
Chicago -------- 29,963 -- 570.3%
Syracuse ------- 22,271 -- 102.2%

Those new additions show how Erie Canal changed New York. And in the 1840's, we see Pittsburgh rising.

[Yuri]

Resuming with Providence, Lowell, Richmond, Norfolk, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, San Francisco, Portland, Salem, New Haven, Mobile and Savannah:

1790

Philadelphia --- 47,813 --- 59 km²
Nova York ------ 33,131 --- 59 km²
Boston --------- 24,244 --- 55 km²
Charleston ----- 16,359 --- 14 km²
Baltimore ------ 13,503 --- 26 km²
Salem ----------- 9,521 --- 64 km²
Providence ------ 6,380 --- 22 km²
Richmond -------- 4,261 --- 11 km²
Norfolk --------- 3,959 --- 14 km²
Albany ---------- 3,748 --- 52 km²
Newark ---------- 3,200 --- 25 km²
Washington ------ 2,993 --- 26 km²
Brooklyn -------- 2,443 --- 47 km²
Savannah -------- 2,250 ---- 6 km²
Portland -------- 2,240 ---- 6 km²
Louisville -------- 200 --- 20 km²
Buffalo ------------------- 23 km²
Chicago ------------------- 27 km²
Cincinnati ---------------- 30 km²
Cleveland ----------------- 12 km²
Lowell -------------------- 16 km²
Detroit -------------------- 9 km²
Milwaukee ----------------- 16 km²
Mobile -------------------- 19 km²
New Orleans --------------- 27 km²
Pittsburgh ---------------- 14 km²
St. Louis ----------------- 22 km²
Rochester ----------------- 12 km²
San Francisco ------------- 12 km²
Syracuse ------------------ 14 km²
Troy ---------------------- 13 km²

1800

Philadelphia --- 66,107 --- 38.3%
Nova York ------ 60,489 --- 82.6%
Boston --------- 32,906 --- 35.7%
Baltimore ------ 26,514 --- 96.4%
Charleston ----- 18,824 --- 15.1%
Salem ---------- 11,457 --- 20.3%
Norfolk --------- 8,426 -- 112.8%
Providence ------ 7,614 --- 19.3%
Richmond -------- 6,637 --- 55.8%
Washington ------ 6,203 -- 107.3%
Albany ---------- 5,749 --- 53.4%
Savannah -------- 5,146 -- 128.7%
Brooklyn -------- 3,284 --- 34.4%
Newark ---------- 3,850 --- 20.3%
Portland -------- 3,704 --- 65.4%
Troy ------------ 2,665
Pittsburgh ------ 1,565 
Cincinnati ------ 1,123
Louisville -------- 359 --- 79.5%

1810

Nova York ------ 96,373 --- 59.3%
Philadelphia --- 94,778 --- 43.4%
Baltimore ------ 46,555 --- 75.6%
Boston --------- 44,738 --- 36.0%
Charleston ----- 24,711 --- 31.3%
New Orleans ---- 17,242
Salem ---------- 15,213 --- 32.8%
Washington ----- 13,156 -- 112.1%
Richmond ------- 11,235 --- 69.3%
Norfolk -------- 11,193 --- 32.8%
Providence ----- 10,071 --- 32.3%
Albany --------- 10,006 --- 74.0%
Portland -------- 7,169 --- 93.5%
Troy ------------ 6,400 -- 141.1%
Brooklyn -------- 5,245 --- 59.7%
Savannah -------- 5,215 ---- 1.3%
Newark ---------- 5,200 --- 35.1%
Pittsburgh ------ 4,768 -- 204.7%
Cincinnati ------ 3,670 -- 226.8%
St. Louis ------- 1,600
Louisville ------ 1,532 -- 298.2% 
Buffalo --------- 1,508
Rochester ------- 1,001
Detroit ----------- 770
Syracuse ---------- 550
Lowell ------------ 200

1820

Nova York ----- 123,706 --- 28.4%
Philadelphia -- 118,977 --- 25.5%
Baltimore ------ 62,738 --- 34.8%
Boston --------- 57,319 --- 28.1%
Charleston ----- 27,980 --- 13.2%
New Orleans ---- 27,176	--- 57.6%
Washington ----- 20,580 --- 56.4%
Providence ----- 18,003 --- 78.8%
Salem ---------- 15,531 ---- 2.1%
Richmond ------- 14,267 --- 27.0%
Albany --------- 13,480 --- 34.7%
Norfolk -------- 13,478 --- 20.4%
Cincinnati ----- 12,185 -- 232.0%
Portland -------- 8,581 --- 19.7%
Troy ------------ 8,448 --- 32.0%
Brooklyn -------- 8,402 --- 60.2%
Pittsburgh ------ 8,196 --- 71.9%
Savannah -------- 7,523 --- 44.2%
Louisville ------ 6,101 -- 123.8% 
Newark ---------- 5,600 ---- 7.7%
St. Louis ------- 4,598 -- 187.4%
Buffalo --------- 2,915 --- 93.3%
Syracuse -------- 1,814 -- 229.8%
Rochester ------- 1,502 --- 50.0%
Lowell ---------- 1,500 -- 650.0%
Mobile ---------- 1,500
Detroit --------- 1,422 --- 84.7%
Cleveland --------- 606 -- 963.2%

1830

Nova York ----- 202,589 --- 63.8%
Philadelphia -- 173,783 --- 46.1%
Boston --------- 81,494 --- 42.2%
Baltimore ------ 80,620 --- 28.5%
New Orleans ---- 46,082	--- 69.6%
Charleston ----- 35,789 --- 27.9%
Cincinnati ----- 30,573 -- 150.9%
Washington ----- 27,271 --- 32.5%
Albany --------- 25,309 --- 87.8%
Providence ----- 25,104 --- 39.4%
Richmond ------- 19,160 --- 34.3%
Salem ---------- 17,295 --- 11.4%
Brooklyn ------- 17,211 -- 104.8%
Troy ----------- 16,634 --- 96.9%
Pittsburgh ----- 16,313 --- 99.0%
Norfolk -------- 15,314 --- 13.6%
Louisville ----- 14,882 -- 143.9%
Portland ------- 12,598 --- 46.8%
Buffalo -------- 10,706 -- 104.0%
Newark ---------- 9,500 --- 69.6%
Rochester ------- 9,207	-- 513.0%
St. Louis ------- 8,500 --- 84.9%
Savannah -------- 7,776 ---- 3.3%
Lowell ---------- 7,477 -- 398.5%
Syracuse -------- 6,929 -- 282.0%
Mobile ---------- 3,194 -- 112.9%
Detroit --------- 2,222 --- 56.3%
Cleveland ------- 1,576 -- 160.1%
Milwaukee --------- 200
Chicago ----------- 100

1840

Nova York ----- 312,710 --- 54.4%
Philadelphia -- 235,696 --- 35.6%
Boston -------- 122,365 --- 50.2%
New Orleans --- 105,400	-- 128.7%
Baltimore ----- 102,313 --- 26.9%
Cincinnati ----- 67,045 -- 119.3%
Brooklyn ------- 42,613 -- 147.6%
Charleston ----- 41,161 --- 15.0%
Providence ----- 35,334 --- 40.7%
Albany --------- 35,171 --- 39.0%
Pittsburgh ----- 34,789 -- 113.3%
Louisville ----- 33,310 -- 123.8%
Washington ----- 30,676 --- 12.5%
Troy ----------- 28,618 --- 72.0%
Richmond ------- 24,453 --- 27.6%
St. Louis ------ 22,500 -- 164.7%
Buffalo -------- 21,838 -- 104.0%
Lowell --------- 20,981 -- 180.6%
Rochester ------ 20,191	-- 119.3%
Norfolk -------- 19,897 --- 29.9%
Salem ---------- 19,182 --- 10.9%
Newark --------- 17,290 --- 82.0%
Portland ------- 15,218 --- 20.8%
Mobile --------- 12,672 -- 296.7%
Savannah ------- 11,214 --- 44.2%
Syracuse ------- 11,014 --- 58.9%
Detroit --------- 9,102 -- 309.6%
Cleveland ------- 7,648 -- 385.3%
Chicago --------- 4,470
Milwaukee ------- 1,712 -- 756.0%

1850

Nova York ----- 515,547 --- 64.9%
Philadelphia -- 389,801 --- 65.4%
Boston -------- 187,685 --- 53.4%
Baltimore ----- 169,054 --- 65.2%
Cincinnati ---- 133,962 -- 118.5%
Brooklyn ------ 131,357 -- 208.2%
New Orleans --- 130,565	--- 23.9%
St. Louis ------ 95,860 -- 326.0%
Pittsburgh ----- 79,113 -- 127.4%
Louisville ----- 59,284 --- 78.0%
Albany --------- 54,127 --- 53.9%
Providence ----- 51,513 --- 45.8%
Buffalo -------- 49,769 -- 127.9%
Washington ----- 48,313 --- 57.5%
Charleston ----- 42,985 ---- 4.4%
Troy ----------- 42,101 --- 47.1%
Newark --------- 38,894 -- 125.0%
Lowell --------- 36,883 --- 75.8%
Rochester ------ 36,403	--- 80.3%
Richmond ------- 31,841 --- 30.2%
Chicago -------- 29,963 -- 570.3%
Norfolk -------- 25,948 --- 30.4%
Salem ---------- 25,124 --- 31.0%
San Francisco -- 25,000
Syracuse ------- 22,271 -- 102.2%
Cleveland ------ 22,184 -- 190.1%
Detroit -------- 21,019 -- 130.9%
Portland ------- 20,815 --- 36.8%
Mobile --------- 20,515 --- 61.9%
Milwaukee ------ 20,061 -- 1,071%
Savannah ------- 15,312 --- 36.5%

- San Francisco growth is crazy, St. Louis, Chicago-style.

- It's also interesting to see the ups and downs of all Great Lake cities: Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee. They've changed places so many times, very specific growth cycles.

- Lots of cities in New England showing up and those are the first Rust Belt. As early as the 1850 slowing down.

- Norfolk, Richmond and Savannah added. As Charleston, the old Atlantic South losing ground since 1790.

- Providence as one of the major cities in the Northeast Corridor, since 1790. In fact, ahead of Washington-Georgetown in 1790 and 1800 and once again in 1840 and 1850.

[iheartthed]

^Yuri's project reminds me of a thread I created a few years back showing the biggest urban growth spurts for U.S. cities, but it was only for the central city. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit are the only U.S. cities to have ever added more than 500k in population within a decade.

From that thread:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

...

The largest single population expansion of any city in a single decade was New York's increase of 1,329,681 between 1900 and 1910. The second largest expansion was New York's increase of 1,310,398 between 1920 and 1930. New York is the only city to ever expand by more than 1 million in a single decade.

NYC, Los Angeles, and Chicago are the only cities to ever expand by more than 600k in a decade. Additionally, NYC, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles, are the only cities that have ever expanded by more than 500k in a decade. And since 1950 only NYC and Los Angeles have posted a population expansion of 500k or more. Although a 600k population expansion is still fairly routine for NYC in the modern era, it does not seem likely that any other U.S. city is likely to achieve a 10-year growth like that any time soon.

Count of +500k expansions in a decade:

• NYC: 7
• Chicago: 4
• Los Angeles: 3
• Detroit: 2

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254469