Populations of States and Territories in 1860
Summary
General estimates of the population of the USA average about 20 million people in the loyal Union states and 11 million in the seceded Confederate states. The black population was about 14% of the whole, with about 227,000 in the Union states and 227,000 in the Confederate states. The foreign-born white population was about 13% of the whole, with 3,904,000 in the Union states and 234,000 in the Confederate states.
The origins of the foreign-born white populations in the Union states were as follows: Ireland 39%, German States 31%, England 11%, British America (Canada) 6%, Scotland 3$, France 2% and other countries 8%. The foreign-born population in the Confederate states originated as follows: Ireland 36%, German States 31%, France 9%, England 87%, Scotland 3%, British America (Canada) 1% and other countries 13%.
| State | Population |
| NEW YORK | 3,880,735 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 2,906,215 |
| OHIO | 2,339,511 |
| ILLINOIS | 1,711,951 |
| INDIANA | 1,350,428 |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 1,231,066 |
| WISCONSIN | 775,881 |
| MICHIGAN | 749,113 |
| IOWA | 674,913 |
| NEW JERSEY | 672,035 |
| MAINE | 628,279 |
| CONNECTICUT | 460,147 |
| CALIFORNIA | 379,994 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | 326,073 |
| VERMONT | 315,098 |
| RHODE ISLAND | 174,620 |
| MINNESOTA | 172,023 |
| DELAWARE | 112,216 |
| KANSAS | 107,206 |
| OREGON | 52,465 |
| UNION TOTAL | 19,019,969 |
| VIRGINIA | 1,596,318 |
| TENNESSEE | 1,109,801 |
| GEORGIA | 1,057,287 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 992,622 |
| ALABAMA | 964,201 |
| MISSISSIPPI | 791,305 |
| LOUISIANA | 708,002 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 703,708 |
| TEXAS | 604,215 |
| ARKANSAS | 435,450 |
| FLORIDA | 140,424 |
| CONFEDERATE TOTAL | 9,103,333 |
| MISSOURI | 1,182,012 |
| KENTUCKY | 1,155,684 |
| MARYLAND | 687,049 |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 75,080 |
| BORDER STATES & DC TOTAL | 3,099,825 |
| NEW MEXICO | 93,516 |
| UTAH | 40,273 |
| COLORADO | 34,277 |
| NEBRASKA | 28,841 |
| WASHINGTON | 11,594 |
| NEVADA | 6,857 |
| DAKOTA | 4,831 |
| TERRITORIES TOTAL | 220,189 |
| ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES 1860 | 31,443,316 |
Estimated Military Population 1860
Military population is defined as white males aged between 18 and 45. Frontier states tended to have a higher white male population.
Areas with high black population, especially in slave-holding states is therefore comparatively low. In time this population increasingly became a resource for military service in the Union army. The total military population was 5,624,065 or 17.(% of the population.
| State | Population | % Military Population* | Military Population |
| NEW YORK | 3,880,735 | 20.5 | 795,551 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 2,906,215 | 19.1 | 555,087 |
| OHIO | 2,339,511 | 19.6 | 458,544 |
| ILLINOIS | 1,711,951 | 21.9 | 374,917 |
| INDIANA | 1,350,428 | 19.6 | 264,684 |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 1,231,066 | 21.0 | 258,524 |
| WISCONSIN | 775,881 | 20.5 | 159,056 |
| MICHIGAN | 749,113 | 21.9 | 164,056 |
| IOWA | 674,913 | 20.6 | 139,032 |
| NEW JERSEY | 672,035 | 19.6 | 131,719 |
| MAINE | 628,279 | 19.5 | 122,514 |
| CONNECTICUT | 460,147 | 20.5 | 94,330 |
| CALIFORNIA | 379,994 | 44.8 | 170,237 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | 326,073 | 19.5 | 63,584 |
| VERMONT | 315,098 | 19.2 | 60,499 |
| RHODE ISLAND | 174,620 | 20.3 | 35,448 |
| MINNESOTA | 172,023 | 24.0 | 41,286 |
| DELAWARE | 112,216 | 16.3 | 18,291 |
| KANSAS | 107,206 | 26.1 | 27,981 |
| OREGON | 52,465 | 30.1 | |
| UNION TOTAL | 19,019,969 | 227,000 black 1% and 3,904,000 foreign born 21% | |
| VIRGINIA | 1,596,318 | 12.3 | 196,347 |
| TENNESSEE | 1,109,801 | 14.4 | 159,811 |
| GEORGIA | 1,057,287 | 11.6 | 122,645 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 992,622 | 11.6 | 115,144 |
| ALABAMA | 964,201 | 10.4 | 100,277 |
| MISSISSIIPPI | 791,305 | 8.9 | 70,426 |
| LOUISIANA | 708,002 | 11.8 | 83,544 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 703,708 | 7.8 | 54,889 |
| TEXAS | 604,215 | 15.3 | 92,445 |
| ARKANSAS | 435,450 | 15.0 | 65,318 |
| FLORIDA | 140,424 | 11.2 | 15,727 |
| CONFEDERATE TOTAL | 9,103,333 | 4,216,000 black 46% and 234,000 foreign born 3% | |
| MISSOURI | 1,182,012 | 19.7 | 232,856 |
| KENTUCKY | 1,155,684 | 15.6 | 80,287 |
| MARYLAND | 687,049 | 15.0 | 103,057 |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 75,080 | 17.0 | 12,764 |
| BORDER STATES & DC TOTAL | 3,099,825 | ||
| NEW MEXICO | 93,516 | ||
| UTAH | 40,273 | ||
| COLORADO | 34,277 | ||
| NEBRASKA | 28,841 | ||
| WASHINGTON | 11,594 | ||
| NEVADA | 6,857 | ||
| DAKOTA | 4,831 | ||
| TERRITORIES TOTAL | 220,189 | 34.6 | 76,185 |
| TOTAL POPULATION OF USA | 31,443,316 |
Populations of Largest Cities in the United States 1860 (Over 40,000)
- New York NY 813,669
- Philadelphia PA 565,529
- Brooklyn NY 266,661
- Baltimore MD 212,418
- Boston MA 177,840
- New Orleans LA 168,675
- Cincinnati OH 161,044
- St Louis MO 160,773
- Chicago IL 109,260
- Buffalo NY 81,129
- Newark NJ 71,942
- Louisville KY 68,033
- Albany NY 62,367
- Washington DC 61,122
- San Francisco CA 56,802
- Providence RI 50,666
- Pittsburgh PA 49,217
- Rochester NY 48,204
- Detroit MI 45,619
- Milwaukee WI 45,246
- Cleveland OH 43,417
- Charleston SC 40,522
Populations of Cities in the general area of hostilities 1860 (over 4,000)
Most populous cities captured or occupied by Union forces during the war
- Baltimore 1861 MD 212,418
- New Orleans 1862 LA 168,675
- St Louis 1861 MO 160,773
- Louisville 1861 KY 68,033
- Washington 1861 DC 61,122
- Charleston 1864 SC 40,522
- Richmond 1865 VA 37,910
- Mobile 1865 AL 29,528
- Memphis 1862 TN 22,623
- Savannah 1864 GA 22,292
- Petersburg 1865 VA 18,266
- Nashville 1862 TN 16,988
- Norfolk 1862 VA 14,620
- Alexandria 1861 VA 12,652
- Augusta 1864 GA 12,493
- Atlanta 1864 GA 9,554
- Wilmington 1865 NC 9,552
- Lexington 1861 KY 9,321
- Montgomery 1865 AL 8,843
- Macon 1864 GA 8,247
- San Antonio 1861 TX 8,235
- Frederick 1861 MD 8,193
- Columbia 1864 SC 8,052
- Galveston 1863 TX 7,307
- Lynchburg 1864 VA 6,853
- Natchez 1862 MI 6,612
- New Bern 1862 NC 5,432
- Baton Rouge 1862 LA 5,428
- Fredericksburg 1862 VA 5,022
- Houston 1865 TX 4,845
- Fayetteville 1865 NC 4,790
- Raleigh 1865 NC 4,780
- Vicksburg 1863 NC 4,591
- Winchester 1861 VA 4,392
