THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES 



35 



60% OR MORE 35%— 59% 20% — 35% Il%-I9% IO%OR LESS 



MAP SHOWING THE RATE OP GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES: I9OO-I9IO 



products, and one constantly increasing 

 in complexity and value. 



The cost of the first census was trifling ; 

 that of the thirteenth will probably be in 

 the neighborhood of $14,000,000. In 

 census-taking and in the presentation of 

 its results the United States easily leads 

 the world. 



The following table shows the popula- 

 tion at each census, the per cent of in- 

 crease from census to census, and the 

 density of population ; i. e., the average 

 number of inhabitants to a square mile. 

 These facts are shown graphically by the 

 diagrams accompanying this article. 



Population of Continental United States 



Year. Population. Per cent of Density . 



increase. ^ 



!790 3,929,214 4.9 



1800 5,308,483 35-i 6.6 



1810 7,239,881 36.4 3.7 



l8 20 9,638,453 33-i 4-8 



1830 12,866,020 33.5 6.4 



l8 40 17,069,453 32.7 8.4 



l8 5o 23,191,876 35.9 7.9 



l8 6o 31,443,321 35.6 10.8 



!870 38,558,371 22.6 13.3 



T 88o 50,155,783 30.1 17.3 



1890 62,622,250 24.9 21.2 



J 90o 75,994,575 20.7 25.6 



1910 91,972,266 21.0 30.7 



The rates of increase, starting with 

 35.1 per cent in the earliest decade, di- 

 minished slowly during the first half 

 century. Then, between 1840 and 1850 

 immigration increased with a rush, owing 

 to famines in Ireland and political trou- 

 bles in Germany, and the rate of increase 

 suddenly rose. Since then it has declined 

 greatly, as the country has filled up with 

 people. 



NO COUNTRY HAS GROWN SO RAPIDEY AS 



OURS 



The growth of this country for the 

 past 120 years has been most astounding. 

 There is no record of any such growth in 

 any other country. Though our growth 

 has in the past 20 years slowed down 

 greatly, yet it is at present much more 

 rapid than that of any European country. 



Australia and Canada have been under 

 much the same conditions during the 

 past century as the United States, and 

 their relatively slow growth is difficult to 

 explain. Moreover, while we can under- 

 stand why half the population of Ireland 

 has come to the United States, it is not 

 easy to explain why a million and a quar- 

 ter of British citizens have left their 



