Consumption of farm output and economic growth in the Old Northwest, 1800-1860

This article presents the first estimates of output per capita for the Old Northwest in the years before 1840. The results indicate that the region grew quite rapidly, even during its earliest formative years. Its performance relative to the nation depends on the definition of output. The Old Northwest did very well economically in the early part of the 19th century. Under the assumption that per capita consumption of most farm products remained constant between 1800 and 1840, its growth was equal to the nation's when output is measured broadly, and consistently outpaced the nation's when output is defined narrowly. It appears that the Old Northwest, even in its earliest formative years, was one of the world's leading economic performers. -from Authors