Purpose, Definitions, Corrected Data, and Symbols
Purpose:
These tables are designed to provide U.S. decennial census populations for all places in the United
States which contained a population of 2,500 or more persons in the 2010 census , or have ever attained a
population of 2,500 or more at one or more decennial censuses in the past. Furthermore, the tables trace
the growth (or decline) of these places from their initial appearance in the census to their population as
recorded at the most recent decennial census, dated April 1, 2010.
Why select 2,500 as a cutoff? For over a century, the U.S. Census Bureau regarded a population
of 2,500 as enough to qualify a place as “urban”. For 1950 through 1990, the “urban” total for any state
has included not only persons who resided within places of 2,500+, but also those in “urbanized areas” of
at least 50,000, consisting of a city and adjacent densely settled territory. These urbanized areas may
include individual incorporated places of less than 2,500, and densely settled unincorporated territory.
However, by and large, the Census Bureau has historically recognized 2,500 as the minimum accepted
population for a place to be called “urban”, and so, this value has been selected as the minimum accepted
population for inclusion in the tables for each state.. In 2000, the definition of “urban” was fundamentally
changed, and urban came to be a function of density ; however, the area defined by density still had to meet
the size cutoff of 2,500 to be recognized as urban.
As early as the 1970 census, the Bureau began to recognize portions of some cities as “rural”,
usually including a relatively small number of residents who lived within the official city limits, but who
occupied farms or other isolated homes well outside the urban core. Thus, the tables for most states include
a population figure for “Rural Population in Places 2,500+, per Census”, at the bottom of the table. In
2000, many individual places with total populations under 2,500 now contained some urban and some rural
residents, and many large cities, formerly all urban, now included small segments of rural population. The
2,500 minimum value suddenly became less important in defining urban vs. rural. However, for the
purposes of these tables, that minimum has been retained.
It should be noted that data from special censuses, state censuses, and colonial censuses has not
been included in these tables – only the official decennial census counts conducted by the U.S. government
Definitions:
The places listed as city, town, borough, or village are incorporated municipalities with legally
defined boundaries. In these tables, the term town refers to a municipal unit of government which usually
comprises a relatively small land area, and does not encompass the ‘towns’ found in the New England
states and a few Northeast and Midwest states, where ‘town’ is equivalent to a larger land unit which
typically includes open country, and is often referred to as a township in other states.
Over time, the legal boundaries of municipalities can change through annexations, detachments,
mergers, or other actions. The figures shown reflect the actual census count at the date of that census. In
other words, data have not been adjusted to reflect subsequent boundary changes in the decade following
each census.
The places listed with the letters CDP following the name indicate a “census designated place.” A
CDP is a densely settled locality recognized by the Census Bureau as a distinct and identifiable
community, but a community which lacks its own municipal government. Usually the Census Bureau has
received useful input from local officials and planners on names and boundaries for CDPs. A CDP may be
a long-established settlement (some have existed for more than a century), or it may be a recent suburban
subdivision or cluster of subdivisions. Boundaries for CDPs tend to be more fluid than those for
incorporated places, so changes in CDP populations from decade to decade may be primarily the result of
altered boundary delineations rather than due to growth within the community itself.
The Census Bureau first recognized CDPs (then called unincorporated places – a title they would
retain until the CDP denotation emerged in 1980) in the 1880 census. Following each state entry was a list
of unincorporated places as determined by local census takers. It was not until the 1940 census that the
Census Bureau again published a list of unincorporated places – and these were not included in the main
census publications, but were instead listed in a separate report. Beginning in 1950, unincorporated places
have been listed alongside incorporated entities in the census reports. Partly because there were no
definitive standards for defining unincorporated places in 1880 or 1940, residents of those communities
with populations of 2,500 or more have never been counted with the urban population for those censuses.
And those places have not been included with the summed totals for places of 2,500 or more on these
tables. Their data are shown in italics to remind the user of this exclusion. The figures were included in
these tables for historical reference only.
The 1890 census listed some places as towns or villages that had been listed as “unincorporated”
places in 1880. The 1900 census did not list some of these places, indicating that perhaps some places
shown in 1890 as “town” or “village” were, in fact, unincorporated settlements. However, if the 1890
census indicated those places were municipalities, they are shown as such in these tables.
Some places are located in two or more counties. For these places, the total figure is shown,
followed by a breakdown of data for the portion of the place in each county.
New England States:
States in the New England, Northeastern and Midwestern parts of the United States usually
include town or township governments. In some cases (some New England states), these governments
perform all functions usually provided by county governments elsewhere, making county government
unnecessary. In reality, neither Connecticut or Rhode Island has a county government structure. These
towns/townships also often perform functions reserved for cities in other states – therefore, in much of New
England, and a few other areas, individual communities or localities have not incorporated as separate
municipalities, and instead relied on the town/township to provide city services. In most of the
Northeastern and Midwestern states, separate cities DID incorporate around densely settled areas within
town/township boundaries, but this rarely happened in New England. In fact, the Census Bureau has, at
some censuses, recognized entire towns/townships as urban places in an effort to compile historical urban
population totals for the New England states. For this reason, the tables for the six New England states
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) will include an additional
table tracing the growth of that state’s towns/townships.
Corrected Data:
Two columns of data are shown for each of the years 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000. This is because
many corrections and revisions have been released for those years. Beginning in the 1970s, the U.S.
government greatly expanded its distribution of federal funds to localities through revenue sharing, block
grants, and other programs. Many of these funds are distributed based on a population or per capita basis.
Thus, it became critical for municipalities to have accurate population counts to ensure they were receiving
their fair share of federal funds. Local officials began checking and double-checking census totals and
census maps to make certain every eligible resident or housing unit had been attributed to the proper
jurisdiction. Some corrections have been made several years after the “final” counts have been released.
While most corrections are quite small, occasionally large corrections have been made, for example when a
city’s sizable annexation just prior to the census was invalidated by a court decision.
However, virtually all tabulated and published census data for state and county urban and rural
totals - i.e., population totals, demographic characteristics (age, sex, race) of residents, etc. – are based on
the original “final” counts. Thus, for comparative and research purposes, it was decided to include both a
column of the original final counts in the column marked with a ‘C’ after the year, and another column
containing the corrections. The column containing corrections simply has the census year in the heading,
but the places which have been corrected or revised are indicated by an ‘R’ in the C/R column. A ‘C’ in
that column denotes the place has not had a revision, so the figures in both columns are the same. Users
may choose to hide or delete unnecessary columns, as they choose.
Before 1970, it was rare for the Census Bureau to issue corrections or revisions to census totals
from a previous census. Usually these resulted from a corrected municipal boundary. Where such
revisions were made, the corrected figures are shown in the tables, and are footnoted.
Symbols:
…
Indicates this place was not listed in that specific census, or any earlier censuses
X
Indicates that a place located in more than one county did not extend into the
specified county at that census
ND
Indicates the place was ‘not defined’ or ‘not delineated’ at that particular census,
though it had been listed in one or more earlier censuses
NRS
Indicates the place may or likely did exist at that census, but the official census
report states that data for the place was ‘not returned separately’
NA
Indicates that for some reason, the Census Bureau has stated the data is ‘not
available’
12,345
Numbers shown in italics are those for census designated places in 1880 or
1940. They are not included in the total figures shown as “Population in Places
2,500+” See explanation under “Definitions”
to Elmira,
1860-70
Indicates why a former place no longer exists. Usually, it was annexed by a
neighboring place. If the exact year of annexation is unknown, the decade is
indicated.