The Most Populous States

What is the most populous state in the US? The answer can easily be found by a quick search online: California is the most populous state. This is currently true, however, California did not become a state until 1850, and the United States was established in 1776, which means it is impossible for California to have been the most populous state throughout all of America’s history, so when did California become the most populous state and what were the most populous states before California?

To answer these questions, I will share a list ranking the states by population for each time that a state became the most populous. I will start with Colonial America, because the thirteen original states technically did exist before July 4, 1776, when they ratified the US Constitution, despite the fact that they were officially dependent colonies until that date.

Virginia: 1600s-1710s (about 110 years)

Here is a list of the ten most populous colonies in 1610 by population.

1. Jamestown (350)

The total population of the colonies at this time was approximately 350 people.

Yes, this list is correct in saying that Jamestown, which became Virginia Colony a couple decades later, was the only colony during the 1610s. The second successful British North American colony, Plymouth Colony, wasn’t founded until 13 years after Jamestown’s successful founding.

Massachusetts: 1710s-1730s (about 20 years)

Here is a list of the ten most populous colonies in 1720 by population; their populations are rounded to the nearest thousand.

1. Massachusetts Bay (91,000)
2. Virginia (88,000)
3. Maryland (66,000)
4. Connecticut (59,000)
5. New York (37,000)
6. Pennsylvania (31,000)
7. New Jersey (30,000)
8. North Carolina (21,000)
9. South Carolina (17,000)
10. Rhode Island (12,000)

The total population of the colonies at this time was approximately 466,185 people.

Virginia: 1730s-1800s (about 70 years)

Here is a list of the ten most populous colonies in 1740 by population; their populations are rounded to the nearest thousand.

1. Virginia (180,000)
2. Massachusetts (152,000)
3. Maryland (116,000)
4. Connecticut (90,000)
5. Pennsylvania (86,000)
6. New York (64,000)
7. North Carolina (52,000)
8. New Jersey (51,000)
9. South Carolina (45,000)
10. Rhode Island (25,000)

The total population of the colonies at this time was approximately 905,563 people.

New York: 1800s-1960s (about 160 years)

Here is a list of the ten most populous states in 1810 by population; their populations are rounded to the nearest thousand.

1. New York (959,000)
2. Virginia (878,000)
3. Pennsylvania (810,000)
4. North Carolina (557,000)
5. Massachusetts (472,000)
6. South Carolina (415,000)
7. Kentucky (407,000)
8. Maryland (381,000)
9. Connecticut (262,000)
10. Tennessee (262,000)

The total population of the United States at this time was approximately 7,239,881 people.

California: 1960s-Present (about 60 years)

Here is a list of the ten most populous states in 1970 by population; their populations are rounded to the nearest thousand.

1. California (19,953,000)
2. New York (18,237,000)
3. Pennsylvania (11,794,000)
4. Texas (11,197,000)
5. Illinois (11,114,000)
6. Ohio (10,652,000)
7. Michigan (8,875,000)
8. New Jersey (7,168,000)
9. Florida (6,789,000)
10. Massachusetts (5,689,000)

The total population of the United States at this time was approximately 203,211,926 people.

This means that New York has been the most populous state for the longest, consecutive time, but Virginia has held the title for the longest total time, at roughly 180 years; in other words, Virginia has been the most populous state or colony for about 43% of the United States’ history from the establishment of the first successful British colony to the year 2023.

What is your favorite most populous state throughout the United States’ history?

Onward American 🇺🇸

Source: List of Colonial US Historical Population

Source: List of US States by Historical Population