28 Henry Gannett — Movements of our Population. 



indeed many degrees of longitude from the geographic center 

 of the United States, which is in northern Kansas, midway be- 

 tween its eastern and western lines. It will doubtless be centuries 

 before the center of population Avill approach the center of area 

 of the country. The above table and j)late 8 show the position 

 and movement of the center of population during each decade. 



Density of Population. 



The following table shows the density of the population or the 

 average number of 23eople to the square mile at each census : 



Density of Population by Decades. 



The map (plate 9, figure 1) shows the density of popula- 

 tion in 1890 by states. In southern New England— that is, in 

 Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut — the average den- 

 sity of population is as great as in many old European countries. 

 Indeed, in Rhode Island there are 318 inhabitants to the square 

 mile, in Massachusetts, 278, and in New Jersey, 193. These are 

 all manufacturing states. In the agricultural states of the south 

 the density ranges up as high as 41 in Virginia and 46 in Ken- 

 tucky, while in the agricultural states of the Mississippi valley 

 we find a density of 68 in the state of Illinois and 61 in Indiana, 

 the average being in the neighborhood of 40 to the square mile. 



Urban Population. 



In the term " urban population " the Census Office includes the 

 inhabitants of all cities of 8,000 or more. Of course this defini- 

 tion is entirely arbitrary and it may well be that urban condi- 



