The 1790 United States census counted 3,929,214 inhabitants, making it the country’s first federal census.
The census date was August 2, 1790, and the count was required by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. Congress assigned the work to U.S. marshals, who visited households and compiled schedules for their judicial districts. The results were published in 1791.
Virginia was the most populous state, with 747,610 people, while Delaware was the least populous, with 59,094. The census counted free people and enslaved people under categories established by law. Its methods differed greatly from modern censuses, which use broader questionnaires, more technology, and more detailed demographic categories.
George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson believed the total was probably an undercount. Long distances, scattered settlements, difficult transportation, limited administrative resources, and people’s reluctance to participate all affected the enumeration. The final figure is therefore a historical census total, not necessarily a perfect measure of the young nation’s population.