Based on the “Statistics of Wealth, Taxation and Public Indebtedness” tables from the 1870 Census, this map portrays the distribution of degree of debt in the eastern United States in 1870. Blue lines indicate population density category boundaries.
The full title of this map is: Map Showing the Degree of Public Indebtedness Per Capita, Contracted by State, County or Municipal Authority at the Close of the Fiscal Year Nearest the Census Year.