Per the 1790 Census, the four largest cities after Charleston, SC and Baltimore, MD were:
| Rank | City | State | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 28,522 |
| 2 | New York City | New York | 24,937 |
| 3 | Boston | Massachusetts | 18,038 |
| 4 | Salem | Massachusetts | 7,921 |
Note: "Charles Town" (Charleston) was 5th (16,359); Baltimore 6th (13,503). The prompt's ordering appears reversed—these four were actually the top four overall in 1790.