UNITED STATES STATISTICS 7IS 



Urban Growth. In 1910 the urban population (in 2,405 incorporated places each of 2,500 

 inhabitants or more) was 42,623,383, about six-thirteenths of the total population and in this 

 territory the increase in the preceding decade was 34.8%, in rural territory, 11.2%, and in 

 the whole country, 21 %. The increase in urban population (nearly 12,000,000) made up 

 about seven-tenths of the total increase in the decade. More than two-thirds of this urban 

 population in 1910 was in the three groups (New England, 12.8%; Middle Atlantic, 32.2 %; 

 and East North Central, 22.6 %), which were comparatively early-settled and are pre-eminent- 

 ly manufacturing. In New England (where the census includes townships or "towns" 

 among urban territory) the urban population was five-sixths of the total; it was more than 

 nine-tenths of the whole in Rhode Island (96.7%) and Massachusetts (92.8) and was less 

 than half only in Vermont (48.6). In the Middle Atlantic states seven-tenths (71 %) of the 

 total population was urban; in New York, 78.8 %; in New Jersey, 75.2 %, and in Pennsylvania, 

 60.4%. In the East North Central the urban population made up more than half (52.7%) 

 of the total; the ratios were highest in Illinois (61.7%) and Ohio (55-9%). Other states in 

 which the urban population was greater than the rural were: California (61.8 % urban), 

 Washington (53%), Maryland (50.8%) and Colorado (50.7%). The percentage in the 

 Pacific Group, where city growth has been very rapid, was 56.8 in 1910 but only 46.4 in 1900 

 and 36.2 in 1880; the urban population from 1900 to igiomore than doubled and the percent- 

 age of increase in Washington was 166%, in Oregon, 1.15.% and in California, 81.4%. 



Nearly one-ninth of the country's urban population was in New York City (4,766,883), 

 and about one-fifth (8,501,174) in New York City, Chicago (2,185,283) and Philadelphia 

 (1,549,008),! taken together. In 1910 there was 5 (in 1900, 3) cities between 500,000 and 

 1,000,0000; II (in 1900, 9), between 250,000 and 500,000; and 31 (in 1900, 23), between ioo,- 

 ooo and 250,000. The 50 cities each with more than 100,000 inhabitants included 14 which 

 had less than 100,000 in 1900 (when Spokane had only 36,848) ; their total in 1910 was 20,302,- 

 138, nearly one-half the urban population. 



Illiteracy. In. spite of the great increase in 1900-10 of population especially in large cities, 

 the growth of immigration and especially of immigration from southern and eastern Europe 

 and from Asia, the number of illiterates (10 years old and over) decreased from 6,180,069 to 

 5,516,693. The percentage of illiterates was 10.7 in 1900 and 7.7 in 1910. In the latter 

 year the rate was highest in the South: 17.4 in the East South Central, 16 in the South 

 Atlantic and 13.2 in the West South Central. But these percentages showed immense pro- 

 gress over 1900 (when the corresponding figures were 24.9, 23.9 and 20.5). ^In each of the 

 other groups of states the rate was lower than the average for the entire country ranging 

 from 6.8 (9.6 in 1900) in the Mountain states to 3 (4.2 in 1900) in the Pacific and 2.9 (4.1 in 

 1900) in the West North Central groups. In New York and Connecticut the actual number 

 of illiterates increased in the decade and the percentage remained 5.5 in New York as it was 

 in 1900 and increased in Connecticut from 5.9 to 6; this was due to large immigration of a 

 non-Teuton class. The presence of a large proportion, and, in a few states, of a majority, 

 of negroes in the South makes the rate of illiteracy high there; but the improvement in the 

 decade is more marked in the negro than in the white population the actual decrease during 

 the decade in the number of all illiterates in the country was 663,376, of negro illiterates, 

 625,107. The highest rates for the entire population, over 10 years, in 1910 were: 29 in 

 Louisiana (38.5 in 1900) and 25.7 in South Carolina (35.9 in 1900). In the former state the 

 rate for whites was 14.2 (18.4 in 1900) and for negroes 48.4 (61.1 in 1900); and in South 

 Carolina the rate for whites was 10.3 (13.5 in 1900) and for negroes 38.7 (52.8 in 1900). In 

 the South, the number of white illiterates increased only in Texas and Louisiana; the number 

 of negro illiterates increased only in Oklahoma. 



AGRICULTURE. 2 In igio the number of farms was 6, 361, 502, being 10.9% more than in 

 1900, but the area in farms, 878,798,325 acres (46.2 % of the land area of the country), was only 

 4.8 % more than in 1900. Considerably more than half of this area (478,451,750 acres) was 

 improved and it is a true index of the progress of agriculture that this improved area was 

 I54%greater than ten years before. The average farm acreage decreased from 146.210 138.1 

 acres, and both this fact and the increase in the average value of farm land per acre from 

 $15. 57 to $32.40 (108.1 % due, in part, no doubt, to the increased cost of living and general rise 

 in prices) and in the average value of farm property per farm from $3,563 to $6,444 (80.9% 

 increase for a farm 5.5 % smaller) show gradually intensified farming. The rapid increase 

 in all prices can explain only a part of the increase, 100.5 %, in the total value of farm prop- 

 erty, $40,991,449,090: of this total the items were: land $28,475,674,169(118.1% increase); 



1 A more exact idea of this centralisation of the urban population in these cities may be 

 gained by taking the population of the three metropolitan districts, that is of the territory 

 within 10 miles of the charter boundaries of each. The total for these three cities and their 

 immediately adjacent districts was 10,913,831: New York (including Newark and Jersey 

 City), 6,474,568; Chicago, 2,466,921, and Philadelphia, 1,972,342. On the same basis the 

 population of the Boston district was 1,520,470, of the Pittsburg district 1,042,855, and of 

 St. Louis and its immediate vicinity, 828,733. Twenty-five such metropolitan districts 

 each containing a city with more than 200,000, contained 22,088,331 inhabitants. 



2 See E. B. i, 414 et seq. 



