Why were nine of the ten largest US cities in 1860 located in the North rather than the South?

First, the Market Revolution—the shift from an agricultural economy to one based on wages and the exchange of goods and services—completely changed the northern and western economy between 1820 and 1860. ... The growth of manufacturing also spawned the wage labor system.

Eastern USA had the largest.

Here is the statistics for 1860:

Rank City  State Population

1 New York New York 813,669  

2 Philadelphia Penn               565,529

3 Brooklyn         New York 266,661  

4 Baltimore Maryland 212,418  

5 Boston           Mass        177,840  

6 New Orleans Louisiana 168,675  

7 Cincinnati Ohio        161,044  

8 St. Louis         Missouri           160,773  

9 Chicago           Illinois            112,172

10 Buffalo       New York             81,129

Explanation:

i think because of slavery the northerners were far more advanced than the southerners plus the north was more populated and had more job opportunities vs the south i hope this helped

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