Table 9-4. CDPs and Incorporated Places in the U.S., 1950 Through 1990
| Number | Population | Percent Population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 |  |
CDPs | 01,430 | 003,565,496 | 02.3 |
 |
Incorporated Places | 17,118 | 096,062,627 | 63.7 | |
| 1960 | |
CDPs | 01,576 | 006,583,649 | 03.7 |
|
Incorporated Places | 18,088 | 115,910,865 | 64.6 | |
| 1970 | |
CDPs | 02,102 | 012,816,101 | 06.3 |
|
Incorporated Places | 18,666 | 131,931,660 | 64.9 | |
| 1980 | |
CDPs | 03,432 | 024,176,786 | 11.1 |
|
Incorporated Places | 19,097 | 140,273,938 | 61.9 | |
| 1990 | |
CDPs | 04,146 | 029,595,737 | 11.9 |
|
Incorporated Places | 19,289 | 152,942,266 | 61.5 |
Note: Table 9-4 above reflects the unincorporated place/CDP criteria applied at the time of each decennial census. In 1940, there were 3,594 “unincorporated communities,” but no total population was compiled or published. The 1950 information refers to the coterminous 48 States. From 1960 to 1990, CDP totals include Alaska and Hawaii; incorporated place totals do not include Hawaii since the Census Bureau treats all places there as CDPs.
At the time of the early decennial censuses, there were sharper distinctions than now exist between city and country, or place and nonplace populations. The United States was largely agrarian; modern-day utilities and transportation systems did not exist. Thus, the communities that did exist tended to be compact, densely settled, easily identifiable, and of relatively great economic and cultural significance. Nonetheless, early census-taking procedures tended to be casual—there was no systematic effort to report the population by place—and many incorporated communities were not identified specifically. Despite an increased awareness of the need for a more precise accounting of the distribution of the population, a systematic, separate, and detailed reporting of the incorporated
Places9-21
