The three tables provide data on the population growth of New York City as a whole and the distribution of residents between Manhattan and the other four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island) from 1800 to 2000.
Overall, the total population of New York City experienced a dramatic increase over the two centuries. However, while Manhattan initially dominated the city’s population, its share declined steadily as the other districts developed more rapidly.
In 1800, the total population of New York stood at 79,216. By 1900, it had grown substantially to 3.4 million before it doubled to approximately 8 million in 2000.
In terms of the distribution, in 1800, the majority of New York population resided in Manhattan, at 76%, while the remaining 24% of population scattered in other four districts. In 1900, although Manhattan’s population grew significantly to reach around 1.85 million, its share fell to 54%, while the population in other districts made up just slightly lower proportion, at 46%. This shift continued in the next century, when Manhattan’s population decreased slowly to around 1.5 million, accounting for only 19% of New York’s population. By contrast, other districts witnessed a dramatic population growth to approximately 6.5 million, accounting for 81% of the total population of New York.