United States Census
| 1810 | 1820 | |
| United States | 7,239,903 | 9,637,999 |
| Pennsylvania | 810,091 | 1,049,449 |
| Allegheny county | 25,317 | 34,921 |
| Pittsburgh | 4,768 | 7,248 |
Business and Industries
"In 1813 there were five glass factories, three foundries, a new edge tool factory, Cowan's New Rolling Mill, a new lock factory built by Patterson, two steam engine and boiler works, one steel factory and a goodly number of small concerns manufacturing various articles. In 1817 the city councils appointed a committee to collect and publish a list of all the large factories in the city. This was done perhaps to let the world know of the industry and thrift of Pittsburg, and is valuable because it is an official list and is to be relied upon. It must also be remembered that these figures represented the industries of Pittsburg when barely emerging from the panic of 1815-17, a financial depression that has scarcely been equalled in Western Pennsylvania in all its history." Boucher's Century and a half of Pittsburg.
"There are many good stores in Pittsburg, and a great trade is carried on with Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, &c.; exclusive of the carrying trade, and the number of boats that are always proceeding down the Ohio, with vast quantities of foreign merchandize, destined to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, &c. The inhabitants send up the Alleghany, Monongahela, and their forks, whisky, cyder, bacon, apples, iron, and castings, glass and foreign merchandize; in return they receive many thousand bushels of salt from Onondago, and immense rafts from Alleghany and French creeks. The quantity of rafts imported into Pittsburg annually, is computed at 4,000,000 feet; average nine dollars per 1000 feet." Palmer's Journal of travels in the United States and Canada, 1817.
"The state of trade is at present dull; but that there is a great deal of business done must be evident from the quantity of 'dry goods' and 'grocery stores,' many of the proprietors of which have stocks as heavy as the majority of London retail dealers. They are literally stuffed with goods of English manufacture, consisting of articles of the most varied kind, from a man's coat or lady's gown, down to a whip or an oyster knife." Fearon's Sketches of America, 1818.
"It is difficult to form a judgment whether there is an opening in any of the present established businesses. One fact strongly in favour of the stability of this town is, that there has not been a bankruptcy in it for three years!!! a singular contrast this with New York, in which the last published list of insolvents contained upwards of 400 names." Fearon's Sketches of America, 1818.
"The principal manufacturing establishments are, a steam grist-mill, steam engine factory, slitting-mill, to which is attached a nail factory, the first of the kind in America; a cannon foundery, air furnace, cotton and woollen factories, two potteries, three breweries, &c.—There are four printing-offices, and two bookstores. A complete description of this interesting town would fill a volume." Brown's Western gazetteer, 1817.
"Two cotton factories, one woollen factory, one paper mill, two saw mills, and one flour mill, are all moved by steam, in this city and in its suburbs across the Monongahela. Four glass factories, two for flint, and two for green, are very extensive; and the productions of the former for elegance of workmanship, are scarcely surpassed by European manufacture. It is sent in many directions from this place; one of the proprietors assured us that Philadelphia receives a part, but the great outlet is down the Ohio." Thomas's Travels through the western country in 1816.
"Some of the … manufactories may be denominated first-rate. This remark applies particularly to the nail, steam-engine (high pressure) and glass establishments. I was astonished to witness such perfection on this side of the Atlantic, and especially in that part of America which a New Yorker supposes to be at the farther end of the world.