The first table shows changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000, while the second and third tables provide details for Manhattan and the other four districts (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.
Overall, the city’s population rose more than one hundredfold over two centuries. While Manhattan’s population peaked in 1900 before declining, the other districts experienced continuous and substantial growth, resulting in a sharp fall in Manhattan’s share of the total.
In 1800, New York City had 79,216 inhabitants, of whom 60,515 (76%) lived in Manhattan. Over the next hundred years, the total population grew to over 3.4 million, with Manhattan’s numbers tripling to 1.85 million, though its share of the total fell to 54%. By 2000, the city’s population exceeded 8 million. However, Manhattan’s figure had dropped to 1.54 million, representing only 19% of residents — a decline of nearly two-thirds in proportional terms since 1800.
In contrast, the combined population of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island grew from under 19,000 in 1800 (24% of the total) to more than 1.58 million by 1900, and surged to over 6.47 million in 2000, accounting for over four-fifths of the city’s population.