ABSTRACT
Total U.S. population grew from 3.9 million in 1790 to 23.2 million in 1850 and then climbed to 76.2 million in 1900. During these years, the rural population – defined as residents not living in places of 2,500 or more – increased from 3.7 million to almost 46 million. Contrary to a widely held perception of rural decline, the rural population continued to grow during the twentieth century. Fourteen million more people lived in rural areas in 2010 than did in 1900 – a 28 percent increase. Only in relative terms did rural America decline – from 60 percent of the population in 1900 to 19 percent in 2010. 1
