The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the
2010 Census showed the resident population of the United States on April 1,
2010, was 308,745,538.
The resident population represented an increase
of 9.7 percent over the 2000 U.S. resident population of 281,421,906. Commerce
Secretary Gary Locke, Acting Commerce Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank and Census
Bureau Director Robert Groves unveiled the official counts at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C.
gA big thanks to the American public for its
overwhelming response to the 2010 Census,h U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
said. gThe result was a successful count that came in on time and well under
budget, with a final 2010 Census savings of $1.87 billion.h
Rebecca Blank, now Acting Deputy Secretary of
Commerce who has overseen the 2010 Census as Under Secretary for Economic
Affairs, echoed Locke. gThe 2010 Census was a massive undertaking, and in
reporting these first results, we renew our commitment to our great American
democracy peacefully, fairly and openly for the 23rd time in our nation's
history.h
The U.S. resident population represents the
total number of people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The most populous state was California
(37,253,956); the least populous, Wyoming (563,626). The state that gained the
most numerically since the 2000 Census was Texas (up 4,293,741 to 25,145,561)
and the state that gained the most as a percentage of its 2000 Census count was
Nevada (up 35.1% to 2,700,551).
Regionally, the South and the West picked up
the bulk of the population increase, 14,318,924 and 8,747,621, respectively. But
the Northeast and the Midwest also grew: 1,722,862 and 2,534,225.
Additionally, Puerto Rico's resident population
was 3,725,789, a 2.2 percent decrease over the number counted a decade earlier.
Just before todayfs announcement, Locke
delivered the apportionment counts to President Obama, 10 days before the
statutory deadline of Dec. 31. The apportionment totals were calculated by a
congressionally defined formula, in accordance with Title 2 of the U.S. Code, to
divide among the states the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The
apportionment population consists of the resident population of the 50 states,
plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents
living with them who could be allocated to a state. Each member of the House
represents, on average, about 710,767 people. The populations of the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population, as they
do not have voting seats in Congress.
gThe decennial count has been the basis for our
representative form of government since 1790,h Groves said. gAt that time, each
member of the House represented about 34,000 residents. Since then, the House
has more than quadrupled in size, with each member now representing about 21
times as many constituents.h
President Obama will transmit the apportionment
counts to the 112th Congress during the first week of its first regular session
in January. The reapportioned Congress will be the 113th, which convenes in
January 2013.
Beginning in February and wrapping up by March
31, 2011, the Census Bureau will release demographic data to the states on a
rolling basis so state governments can start the redistricting process.
Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution
calls for a census of the nation's population every 10 years to apportion the
House seats among the states. The 2010 Census is the 23rd census in our nation's
history.
For more information about the U.S. Census
Bureau, please visit http://www.census.gov/
and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube
(/uscensusbureau).
RESOURCES:
Press Kit - http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/apportionment/apport.html
Intaractive maps - http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/
Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office |
PIO@census.gov | Last Revised: December 21,
2010