Chhatarpur is the 140th largest Hindi speaking city in India with a total population of 1,33,464. Highest employment in Chhatarpur is in Agriculture, Readymade garments, Mineral and other household industries. The district has 72% of the workforce employed in the Agricultural Sector, 25% in the Industrial Sector and the remaining 3% are Household workers. The major crops produced in the district are Black Gram, Sesame, Soybean, Rice, Sorghum, Wheat, Chickpea, Pea, Linseed and Mustard. Apart from these, other horticultural crops like Brinjal, Tomato, Potato, Chilly etc. are also produced. Chhatarpur was founded in 1785 and is named after the Bundela Rajput leader Chhatrasal, the founder of Bundelkhand independence, and contains his cenotaph. The state was ruled by his descendants until 1785. At that time the Ponwar clan of the Rajputs took control of Chhatarpur. The state was guaranteed to Kunwar Sone Singh Ponwar in 1806 by the British Raj. In 1854 Chhatarpur would have lapsed to the British government for want of direct heirs under the doctrine of lapse but was conferred on Jagat Raj as a special act of grace. The Ponwar Rajas ruled a princely state with an area of 1,118 square miles (2,900 sq. km), and population of 156,139 in 1901, which was part of the Bundelkhand agency of Central India
