| Rank | City | 1850 Population | Growth Rate (Annual) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 515,547 | 5.1% |
| 2 | Baltimore, MD | 169,054 | 5.2% |
| 3 | Boston, MA | 136,881 | 3.9% |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | 121,376 | 2.6% |
| 5 | New Orleans, LA | 116,375 | 1.3% |
| 6 | Cincinnati, OH | 115,435 | 9.6% |
| 7 | Brooklyn, NY | 96,838 | 10.3% |
| 8 | St. Louis, MO | 77,860 | 16.8% |
| 9 | Spring Garden district, PA | 58,894 | 7.8% |
| 10 | Albany, NY | 50,763 | 4.2% |
| 11 | Northern Liberties district, PA | 47,223 | 3.2% |
| 12 | Kensington district, PA | 46,774 | 7.7% |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | 46,601 | 8.2% |
| 14 | Louisville, KY | 43,194 | 7.4% |
| 15 | Charleston, SC | 42,985 | 3.9% |
| 16 | Buffalo, NY | 42,261 | 8.8% |
| 17 | Providence, RI | 41,513 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Washington, DC | 40,001 | 5.5% |
| 19 | Newark, NJ | 38,894 | 8.4% |
| 20 | Southwark district, PA | 38,799 | 3.5% |
| 21 | Rochester, NY | 36,403 | 6.1% |
| 22 | Lowell, MA | 33,383 | 4.8% |
| 23 | Williamsburgh, NY | 30,780 | – |
| 24 | Chicago, IL | 29,963 | 21.0% |
| 25 | Troy, NY | 28,785 | 4.1% |
| 26 | Richmond, VA | 27,570 | 3.2% |
| 27 | Moyamensing district, PA | 26,979 | – |
| 28 | Syracuse, NY | 22,271 | – |
| 29 | Allegheny, PA | 21,262 | 7.7% |
| 30 | Detroit, MI | 21,019 | 8.7% |
| 31 | Portland, ME | 20,815 | 3.2% |
| 32 | Mobile, AL | 20,515 | 4.9% |
| 33 | New Haven, CT | 20,345 | 4.6% |
| 34 | Salem, MA | 20,264 | 3.0% |
| 35 | Milwaukee, WI | 20,061 | – |
| 36 | Roxbury, MA | 18,364 | 7.3% |
| 37 | Columbus, OH | 17,882 | 11.5% |
| 38 | Utica, NY | 17,565 | 3.2% |
| 39 | Charlestown, MA | 17,216 | 4.1% |
| 40 | Worcester, MA | 17,049 | 8.6% |
| 41 | Cleveland, OH | 17,034 | 10.9% |
| 42 | New Bedford, MA | 16,443 | 3.1% |
| 43 | Reading, PA | 15,743 | 6.5% |
| 44 | Savannah, GA | 15,312 | 3.2% |
| 45 | Cambridge, MA | 15,215 | 6.1% |
| 46 | Bangor, ME | 14,432 | 5.3% |
| 47 | Norfolk, VA | 14,326 | 2.8% |
| 48 | Lynn, MA | 14,257 | 4.3% |
| 49 | Lafayette city (old), LA | 14,190 | – |
| 50 | Petersburg, VA | 14,010 | 2.3% |
| 51 | Wilmington, DE | 13,979 | 5.3% |
| 52 | Manchester, NH | 13,932 | – |
| 53 | Hartford, CT | 13,555 | 3.7% |
| 54 | Lancaster, PA | 12,369 | 3.9% |
| 55 | Oswego, NY | 12,205 | – |
| 56 | Springfield, MA | 11,766 | 0.7% |
| 57 | Fall River, MA | 11,524 | 5.5% |
| 58 | Poughkeepsie, NY | 11,511 | – |
| 59 | Wheeling, VA | 11,435 | 3.8% |
| 60 | Paterson township, NJ | 11,334 | 4.1% |
| 61 | Dayton, OH | 10,977 | 6.1% |
| 62 | Taunton, MA | 10,441 | 3.2% |
| 63 | Nashville, TN | 10,165 | 3.9% |
| 64 | Portsmouth, NH | 9,738 | 2.1% |
| 65 | Newburyport, MA | 9,572 | 2.9% |
| 66 | Newport, RI | 9,563 | 1.4% |
| 67 | Auburn, NY | 9,548 | 5.4% |
| 68 | Camden, NJ | 9,479 | – |
| 69 | Augusta, GA | 9,448 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Covington, KY | 9,408 | – |
| 71 | New London, CT | 8,991 | 5.0% |
| 72 | Schenectady, NY | 8,921 | 2.8% |
| 73 | Memphis, TN | 8,841 | – |
| 74 | Alexandria, VA | 8,734 | – |
| 75 | Montgomery, AL | 8,728 | – |
| 76 | Portsmouth, VA | 8,626 | 2.9% |
| 77 | Concord, NH | 8,576 | 5.8% |
| 78 | Nantucket, MA | 8,452 | -0.6% |
| 79 | Georgetown, DC | 8,366 | 1.4% |
| 80 | Chicopee, MA | 8,291 | – |
| 81 | Lawrence, MA | 8,282 | – |
| 82 | Augusta, ME | 8,225 | 4.5% |
| 83 | Dover, NH | 8,196 | 2.4% |
| 84 | New Albany, IN | 8,181 | 6.8% |
| 85 | Lexington, KY | 8,159 | 1.5% |
| 86 | Danvers, MA | 8,109 | 4.9% |
| 87 | Indianapolis, IN | 8,091 | – |
| 88 | Lynchburg, VA | 8,071 | 2.4% |
| 89 | Bath, ME | 8,020 | 4.5% |
| 90 | Madison, IN | 8,012 | – |
| 91 | Dorchester, MA | 7,969 | 5.0% |
| 92 | Zanesville, OH | 7,929 | 5.2% |
| 93 | Harrisburg, PA | 7,834 | 2.7% |
| 94 | Gloucester, MA | 7,786 | 2.1% |
| 95 | Warwick, RI | 7,740 | 1.4% |
| 96 | North Providence, RI | 7,680 | – |
| 97 | West Troy town (Watervliet), NY | 7,564 | – |
| 98 | Pottsville, PA | 7,515 | 5.6% |
| 99 | Wilmington, NC | 7,264 | 3.1% |
| 100 | Easton, PA | 7,250 | 4.1% |
Cities in Bold = State Capitals
In 1850, the largest city in the US was New York, with a population of 515,547. The second largest city was Baltimore, with a population of 169,054. The third largest US city in 1850 was Boston, with a population of 136,881.
The total population of the United States in 1850 was 23,191,876. In 1850, the top 10 largest cities held 6.3% of the population of the country. The top 100 cities accounted for 12.8% of the entire country's population.
The racial demographics of the United States in 1850 were as follows: White population of 19,550,751 (84.3%), Black population of 3,641,124 (15.7%).
The overall population of the world in 1850 was around 1,278,000,000. In 1850 the United States population accounted for about 1.8% of the world's total population.
© 2025 www.biggestuscities.com, All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Last updated: Jan 2, 2025