The Evolution of Population Concentration

? TUDIES of urbanization typically view population concentration in strictly quantitative terms, namely, as an increase in the proportion of the population who reside in cities. Urbanization is in fact the major factor in the process of population concentration,1 but the process involves more than an increase in the proportion of city residents. Specifically, there is evidence of a particular order of stages in population concentration. This paper sets forth suggested major stages and reports a test of their applicability to the demographic history of the 48 coterminous states of the United States up to 1960.