Demography in American Economic History

Abstract

This chapter deals with the population of the United States from its beginnings in colonial times since the first census in 1790 to the present. It deals with the processes of population growth and change: fertility, mortality, urbanization, and migration, both external and internal. In the 220 years since 1790, the population of the United States increased from about 4 million to almost 309 million persons in 2010. Relatively high fertility in earlier times combined with moderate mortality and significant net immigration combined to create this growth. The chapter also deals with changes in population by race, ethnicity, and location.