<P> The urbanization of the United States has progressed throughout its entire history . Over the last two centuries, the United States of America has been transformed from a predominantly rural, agricultural nation into an urbanized, industrial one . This was largely due to the Industrial Revolution in the United States (and parts of Western Europe) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and the rapid industrialization which the United States experienced as a result . In 1790, only about one out of every twenty Americans (on average) lived in urban areas (cities), but this ratio had dramatically changed to one out of four by 1870, one out of two by 1920, two out of three in the 1960s, and four out of five in the 2000s . </P> <P> The urbanization of the United States occurred over a period of many years, with the nation only attaining urban - majority status between 1910 and 1920 . Currently, over four - fifths of the U.S. population resides in urban areas, a percentage which is still increasing today . The United States Census Bureau changed its classification and definition of urban areas in 1950 and again in 1990, and caution is thus advised when comparing urban data from different time periods . </P>

When did the us become more urban than rural