The 1790 United States Census recorded a population of 3,929,214 people.
This was the first national census of the United States, conducted under Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. Census Day was August 2, 1790, and the count covered the newly established country and its original states and districts.
Congress assigned the work to U.S. marshals rather than creating a separate census agency. Marshals visited households, recorded required categories, and posted completed schedules in public places for inspection. The law required information about free people, enslaved people, and other population classifications used at the time.
Virginia was the most populous state in the first count, with 747,610 inhabitants, while Delaware was the least populous, with 59,094. The total is not directly comparable to modern census figures because the categories and coverage rules were different. The census also excluded some Native Americans not taxed under the law.