The
Twenty-third United States Census, known as
Census 2010 or the
2010 Census, is the current
national censusThe United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating (counting) individuals. Directors of the 2010 Census made an emphasis on getting an accurate count, an emphasis that included the hiring of 635,000 temporary enumerators. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538, a 9.7% increase from the 2000 Census. The state with the highest percentage rate of growth was Nevada, while the state with the largest population increase was Texas.
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
was the only state to lose population (although
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, a U.S. territory, lost population as well), and the District of Columbia saw its first gain since the 1950s.
Introduction
As required by the
United States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, the U.S. census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The 2000 U.S. Census was the previous census completed. Participation in the U.S. Census is required by law in
Title 13 of the United States CodeTitle 13 of the United States Code outlines the role of the United States Census in the United States Code.-External links:*, via United States Government Printing Office*, via Cornell University...
.
On January 25, 2010, Census Bureau Director
Robert GrovesRobert Martin Groves is the Director of the United States Census Bureau, a sociologist, and research professor in survey methodology at both the University of Michigan and University of Maryland, College Park...
personally inaugurated the 2010 Census enumeration by counting
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran Clifton Jackson, a resident of
Noorvik, AlaskaNoorvik is a primarily Inupiat city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 634. Located in the NANA Region Corp, Noorvik has close ties with the largest city in the region, Kotzebue. Residents speak a dialect of Inupiaq...
. Census forms were delivered by the U.S. Post Office beginning March 15, 2010. The number of forms mailed out or hand-delivered by the Census Bureau was about 134 million. Although the questionnaire used April 1 as the reference date as to where a person was living, an insert dated March 15, 2010 included the following printed in bold type: "Please complete and mail back the enclosed census form today."
, the national participation rate was 72%. From April through July 2010, census takers visited households that did not return a form, an operation called "non-response follow-up" (NRFU).
In December 2010, the
Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
delivered population information to the President for
apportionmentApportionment is the process of allocating political power among a set of principles . In most representative governments, political power has most recently been apportioned among constituencies based on population, but there is a long history of different approaches.The United States Constitution,...
, and in March 2011, complete
redistrictingRedistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
data was delivered to states.
Major changes
The Census Bureau did not use a long form for the 2010 Census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, which asked for detailed social and economic information. The 2010 Census used only a short form asking ten basic questions:
- How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?
- Were there any additional people staying here on April 1, 2010 that you did not include in Question 1? Mark all that apply: (checkboxes for: children; relatives; non-relatives; people staying temporarily; none)
- Is this house, apartment, or mobile home - [Checkboxes for owned with a mortgage, owned free and clear, rented, occupied without rent.]
- What is your telephone number?
- What is Person 1's name? (last, first)
- What is Person 1's sex? (male, female)
- What is Person 1's age and Person 1's date of birth?
- Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? (checkboxes for: "No", and several for "Yes" which specify groups of countries)
- What is Person 1's race? (checkboxes for 14 including "other". One possibility was "Black, African Am., or Negro".)
- Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else? (checkboxes for "No", and several locations for "Yes")
The form included space to repeat some or all of these questions for up to twelve residents total.
In contrast to the 2000 census, an Internet response option was not offered, nor was the form available for download.
Detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the
American Community SurveyThe American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
. The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a 1-year or 3-year cycle, depending on the size of the community, rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a rotating basis will receive the survey each year, and no household will receive it more than once every five years.
In June 2009 the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it would count
same-sex married couplesSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. However, the final form did not contain a separate "same-sex married couple" option. When noting the relationship between household members, same-sex couples who are married could mark their spouses as being "Husband or wife", the same response given by opposite-sex married couples. An "unmarried partner" option was available for couples (whether same-sex or opposite-sex) who were not married.
Cost
The 2010 census cost $13 billion, approximately $42
per capitaPer capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
; by comparison, the 2010 census per-capita cost for China was about US$1 and for India was US$0.40. Operational costs were $5.4 billion, significantly under the $7 billion budget. In December 2010 the
Government Accountability OfficeThe Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
(GAO) noted that the cost of conducting the census has approximately doubled each decade since 1970. In a detailed 2004 report to
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the GAO called on the Census Bureau to address cost and design issues, and at that time, had estimated the 2010 Census cost to be only $11 billion.
In August 2010 Commerce Secretary
Gary LockeGary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke...
announced that the census
operational costAn operating expense, operating expenditure, operational expense, operational expenditure or OPEX is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system . Its counterpart, a capital expenditure , is the cost of developing or providing non-consumable parts for the product or system...
s came in significantly under budget; of an almost $7 billion operational budget:
- $650 million was saved in the budget for the door-to-door questioning (NRFU) phase because 72% of households returned mailed questionnaires;
- $150 million was saved because of lower-than-planned costs in areas including Alaska and tribal lands; and
- the $800 million emergency fund was not needed.
Locke credited the management practices of Census Bureau Director
Robert GrovesRobert Martin Groves is the Director of the United States Census Bureau, a sociologist, and research professor in survey methodology at both the University of Michigan and University of Maryland, College Park...
, citing in particular the decision to buy additional advertising in locations where responses lagged, which improved the overall response rate. The agency also has begun to rely more on questioning neighbors or other reliable third parties when a person could not be immediately reached at home, which reduced the cost of follow-up visits. Census data for about 22% of U.S. households that did not reply by mail were based on such outside interviews, Groves said.
Technology
In 2005
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
won a six-year, $500 million contract to capture and standardize data for the census. The contract includes systems, facilities, and staffing.
Information technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
was about a quarter of the projected $11.3 billion cost of the decennial census. This was the first census to use
hand-held computing devicesHHC may refer to:* Hand Held Computer, used by the US Census Bureau in 2009 for information transfer* Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a company-sized unit of the United States Army...
with
GPSThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
capability, although they were only used for the address canvassing operation. The Census Bureau chose to conduct the primary operation, Non-Response Follow Up (NRFU), without using the handheld computing devices.
Marketing and undercounts
Due to allegations surrounding previous censuses that poor people and people of color are routinely undercounted, for the 2010 census the Census Bureau tried to avoid that bias by enlisting tens of thousands of intermediaries, such as churches, charities and firms, to explain to people the importance of being counted.
In April 2009 the Census Bureau announced that it intended to work with
community organizationCommunity organizations are civil society non-profits that operate within a single local community. They are essentially a subset of the wider group of nonprofits. Like other nonprofits they are often run on a voluntary basis and are self funded...
s in an effort to count all
illegal immigrantsAn illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
in the United States for the census.
The
Association of Community Organizations for Reform NowThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
(ACORN) was given a contract to help publicize the importance of the census count and to encourage individuals to fill out their forms. In September 2009, after
controversial undercover videosThe ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy refers to the news media and political uproar following the release of videos in 2009 purporting to show encounters between a young couple and workers in several offices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now , where the ACORN...
showed four ACORN staffers giving possibly illegal tax advice to a man and woman posing as a pimp and prostitute, the Bureau canceled ACORN's contract. Various American celebrities, including
Demi Lovato"She’s got the range, the full emotional spectrum, incredible control… Vocally, she’s the best thing Disney’s had since Christina Aguilera."—Producer Toby Gad on Demi Lovato's vocals...
and
Eva LongoriaEva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, were used in
public service announcementA public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s targeting younger people to fill out census forms.
Wilmer ValderramaWilmer Eduardo Valderrama is an American actor and television personality, known for the role of Fez in the sitcom That '70s Show, hosting the MTV series Yo Momma, and voicing the character of Manny in the children's show Handy Manny.-Early life:Valderrama was born in Miami, Florida the son of...
and
Rosario DawsonRosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
have helped spread census awareness among young Hispanics, a historically low participating ethnicity in the U.S. Census. Rapper
LudacrisChristopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
was also used to spread awareness of the 2010 Census.
The Census Bureau hired about 635,000 people to find those U.S. residents who had not returned their forms by mail; as of May 28, 2010, 113 census workers have been victims of crime while conducting the census. As of June 29, there were 436 incidents involving assaults or threats against enumerators, more than double the 181 incidents in 2000; one enumerator, attempting to hand-deliver the census forms to a Hawaii County police officer, was arrested for trespassing - the officer's fellow policement made the arrest.
Some political conservatives and libertarians questioned the validity of the questions and even encouraged people to refuse to answer questions for privacy and constitutional reasons.
Michele BachmannMichele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
, a conservative
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
CongresswomanThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, stated that she would not fill out her census form other than to indicate the number of people living in her household because "the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that." Former Republican Representative and
LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
presidential candidate
Bob BarrRobert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...
stated that the census has become too intrusive, going beyond mere enumeration (i.e., count) intended by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. According to political commentator
Juan WilliamsJuan Williams is an American journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel, he was born in Panama on April 10, 1954. He also writes for several newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and has been published in magazines such as The Atlantic...
, "Census participation rates have been declining since 1970, and if conservatives don't participate, doubts about its accuracy and credibility may become fatal."
As a result, the Census Bureau undertook an unprecedented advertising campaign targeted at encouraging white political conservatives to fill out their forms, in the hope of avoiding an undercount of this group. The 2010 U.S. Census was the primary sponsor at NASCAR races in Atlanta, Bristol, and Martinsville, and sponsored the #16
Ford FusionFord Fusion is a name used on two different models of cars from the Ford Motor Company.* Ford Fusion * Ford Fusion / Ford Fusion Hybrid...
driven by
Greg BiffleGregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons...
for part of the season, because of a marketing survey that indicated most NASCAR fans lean politically conservative. It also ran an advertisement during the
2010 Super BowlSuper Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
, and hired singer
Marie OsmondOlive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
, who is thought to have many conservative fans, to publicize the census.
2012 election
The results of the 2010 census determined the number of seats that each state receives in the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
starting with the 2012 elections. Consequently, this affected the number of votes each state has in the Electoral College for the
2012 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
.
Because of population changes, eighteen states had changes in their number of seats. Eight states gained at least one seat, and ten states lost at least one seat.
| Gained four seats |
Gained two seats |
Gained one seat |
Lost one seat |
Lost two seats |
| Texas These are tables of congressional delegations from Texas to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:...
|
Florida These are tables of congressional delegations from Florida to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.Unlike many smaller states that generally have continuity in their districts when reapportioned every 10 years after the United States Census, Florida has seen a great...
|
Arizona These are complete tables of congressional delegations from Arizona to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-1863 – 1912: 1 non-voting delegate:-1912 – 1943: 1 seat:-1943 – 1963: 2 seats:...
Georgia- Historical :These are tables of congressional delegations from Georgia to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:- House of Representatives :...
Nevada-United States Senate:-Delegates from Nevada Territory:- Members from Nevada :- Key :...
South CarolinaThese are tables of congressional delegations from South Carolina to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:-See also:...
UtahSince Utah became a U.S. state in 1896, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years. Before the Seventeenth Amendment took effect in 1913, senators were elected by the Utah State...
WashingtonThese are tables of congressional delegations from the state of Washington to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates from Washington Territory:-Members from Washington State:...
|
Illinois These are tables of congressional delegations from Illinois to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:- 1812 – 1818: 1 Territorial delegate :...
IowaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Iowa to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:...
LouisianaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Louisiana to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:-1806 - 1811: 1 non-voting delegate:...
MassachusettsThese are complete tables of congressional delegations from Massachusetts to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Eleven of the twelve members of the current delegation are Democrats and one is a Republican.-United States Senate:...
MichiganThis is a complete listing of all historical congressional delegations from Michigan to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates from Michigan Territory:-Members from Michigan:-Notes:...
MissouriThese are tables of congressional delegations from Missouri to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. -United States Senate:-Delegates from Missouri Territory:...
New JerseyThese are tables of congressional delegations from New Jersey to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. -United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:-Sources:* *...
PennsylvaniaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Pennsylvania to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:-1789–1793: 8 Seats:...
|
New York These are tables of congressional delegations from New York to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.Over the years, New York has demographically changed so that it is hard to consider each district to be a continuation of the same numbered district before...
OhioThese are complete tables of congressional delegations from Ohio to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-United States House of Representatives:-1803–1813: One seat:...
|
Controversy
Some object to the counting of persons who are in the United States illegally. Republican senators
David VitterDavid Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
and Bob Bennett tried unsuccessfully to add questions on immigration status to the new form.
Organizations such as the
Prison Policy InitiativeThe Prison Policy Initiative is a criminal justice oriented public policy think tank based in Easthampton, Massachusetts. It is a non-profit organization, designated 501 by the IRS...
argue that the census counts of incarcerated men and women as residents of prisons, rather than of their pre-incarceration addresses, skewed political clout and resulted in misleading demographic and population data.
The term "
NegroThe word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
" is used in the questionnaire (Question 9. What is Person (number)'s race? ...
BlackThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
,
African Am.African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, or Negro) as a choice to describe one's race. Census Bureau spokesman Jack Martin explained that "many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included." The word was also used in the 2000 Census, with over 56,000 people identifying themselves as "Negro."
The 2010 census contains ten questions about age, gender, ethnicity, home ownership, and household relationships. Six of the ten questions are intended to be answered by each individual in the household. Current federal law has provisions for fining those who refuse to complete the census form.
Detroit Mayor
Dave BingDavid "Dave" Bing is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association , primarily for the Detroit Pistons...
held a press conference on 22 March 2011 to announce that the city would challenge the city's census results. The challenge, being led by the city's planning department, cited an inconsistency as an example showing a downtown census tract which lost only 60 housing units, but 1,400 people, implying that a downtown jail or dormitory was missed in canvassing.
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor
Michael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
held a conference on 27 March 2011, to announce that the city would also challenge his city's census results, specifically the apparent undercounting in the boroughs of
QueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and
BrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Bloomberg said that the numbers for Queens and Brooklyn, the two most populous boroughs, are implausible. According to the Census, they grew by only 0.1% and 1.6%, respectively, while the other boroughs grew by between 3% and 5%. He also stated that the census showed improbably high numbers of vacant housing in vital neighborhoods such as
Jackson Heights, QueensJackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3...
.
The
District of ColumbiaWashington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
announced in August 2011 that it would also challenge its census results. The Mayor's Office claimed that the detailed information provided for 549 census blocks is "nonsensical", listing examples of census data that show housing units located in the middle of a street that do not actually exist. However, officials do not believe the city's total population will drastically change as a result of the challenge.
Clemons v. Department of Commerce
A 2009 lawsuit,
Clemons v. Department of CommerceClemons v. Department of Commerce was a lawsuit filed in the U.S...
(see also United States congressional apportionment#Controversy and history), sought a court order for Congress to reapportion the House of Representatives with a greater number of members following the census, to rectify under- and over-representation of some states under the so-called 435 rule established by
the Apportionment Act of 1911-Subsequent apportionment:For the first and only time, Congress failed to pass an apportionment act after the 1920 census. This left the allocations of the Act of 1911 in place until the 1930 census. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 established a method for reallocating seats among the states,...
, which limits the number of U.S. Representatives to that number, meaning that some states are slightly underrepresented proportionate to their true population and that others are slightly overrepresented by the same standard. Had this occurred, it would have also affected Electoral College apportionment for the 2012–2020 presidential elections. After the court order was not granted, the plaintiffs appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court, and on December 13, 2010, the Supreme Court vacated and remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint for lack of jurisdiction.
From February, 2009, the non-partisan watchdog organization
MyTwoCensus.comMyTwoCensus is a non-partisan, political watchdog group for the 2010 U.S. Census, created in February 2009. It tracks topics such as the constitutionality of including illegal immigrants in the census.-History:...
served as an online repository for criticism about 2010 Census processes.
State rankings
| Rank |
State |
Population as of
2000 Census |
Population as of
2010 Census |
Change |
Percent
change |
| 1 |
 California |
33,871,648 |
37,253,956 |
3,382,308 |
10.0% |
| 2 |
 Republic of Texas |
20,851,820 |
25,145,561 |
4,293,741 |
20.6% |
| 3 |
 New York |
18,976,457 |
19,378,102 |
401,645 |
2.1% |
| 4 |
 Florida |
15,982,378 |
18,801,310 |
2,818,932 |
16.6% |
| 5 |
 Illinois |
12,419,293 |
12,830,632 |
411,339 |
3.3% |
| 6 |
 Pennsylvania |
12,281,054 |
12,702,379 |
421,325 |
3.4% |
| 7 |
 Ohio |
11,353,140 |
11,536,504 |
183,364 |
1.6% |
| 8 |
 Michigan |
9,938,444 |
9,883,640 |
54,804 |
0.6% |
| 9 |
' |
8,186,453 |
9,687,653 |
1,501,200 |
18.3% |
| 10 |
 North Carolina |
8,049,313 |
9,535,483 |
1,486,170 |
18.5% |
| 11 |
 New Jersey |
8,414,350 |
8,791,894 |
377,544 |
4.5% |
| 12 |
 Virginia |
7,078,515 |
8,001,024 |
922,509 |
13.0% |
| 13 |
 Washington |
5,894,121 |
6,724,540 |
830,419 |
14.1% |
| 14 |
 Massachusetts |
6,349,097 |
6,547,629 |
198,532 |
3.1% |
| 15 |
 Indiana |
6,080,485 |
6,483,802 |
403,317 |
6.6% |
| 16 |
 Arizona |
5,130,632 |
6,392,017 |
1,261,385 |
24.6% |
| 17 |
 Tennessee |
5,689,283 |
6,346,105 |
656,822 |
11.5% |
| 18 |
 Missouri |
5,595,211 |
5,988,927 |
393,716 |
7.0% |
| 19 |
 Maryland |
5,296,486 |
5,773,552 |
477,066 |
9.0% |
| 20 |
 Wisconsin |
5,363,675 |
5,686,986 |
323,311 |
6.0% |
| 21 |
 Minnesota |
4,919,479 |
5,303,925 |
384,446 |
7.8% |
| 22 |
 Colorado |
4,301,261 |
5,029,196 |
727,935 |
16.9% |
| 23 |
 Alabama |
4,447,100 |
4,779,736 |
332,636 |
7.5% |
| 24 |
 South Carolina |
4,012,012 |
4,625,364 |
613,352 |
15.3% |
| 25 |
 Louisiana |
4,468,976 |
4,533,372 |
64,396 |
1.4% |
| 26 |
 Kentucky |
4,041,769 |
4,339,367 |
297,598 |
7.4% |
| 27 |
 Oregon |
3,421,399 |
3,831,074 |
409,675 |
12.0% |
| 28 |
 Oklahoma |
3,450,654 |
3,751,351 |
300,697 |
8.7% |
| 29 |
 Connecticut |
3,405,565 |
3,574,097 |
168,532 |
4.9% |
| 30 |
 Iowa |
2,926,324 |
3,046,355 |
120,031 |
4.1% |
| 31 |
 Mississippi |
2,844,658 |
2,967,297 |
122,639 |
4.3% |
| 32 |
 Arkansas |
2,673,400 |
2,915,918 |
242,518 |
9.1% |
| 33 |
 Kansas |
2,688,418 |
2,853,118 |
164,700 |
6.1% |
| 34 |
 Utah |
2,233,169 |
2,763,885 |
530,716 |
23.8% |
| 35 |
 Nevada |
1,998,257 |
2,700,551 |
702,294 |
35.1% |
| 36 |
 New Mexico |
1,819,046 |
2,059,179 |
240,133 |
13.2% |
| 37 |
 West Virginia |
1,808,344 |
1,852,994 |
44,650 |
2.5% |
| 38 |
 Nebraska |
1,711,263 |
1,826,341 |
115,078 |
6.7% |
| 39 |
 Idaho |
1,293,953 |
1,567,582 |
273,629 |
21.1% |
| 40 |
 Hawaii |
1,211,537 |
1,360,301 |
148,764 |
12.3% |
| 41 |
 Maine |
1,274,923 |
1,328,361 |
53,438 |
4.2% |
| 42 |
 New Hampshire |
1,235,786 |
1,316,470 |
80,684 |
6.5% |
| 43 |
 Rhode Island |
1,048,319 |
1,052,567 |
4,248 |
0.4% |
| 44 |
 Montana |
902,195 |
989,415 |
87,220 |
9.7% |
| 45 |
 Delaware |
783,600 |
897,934 |
114,334 |
14.6% |
| 46 |
 South Dakota |
754,844 |
814,180 |
59,336 |
7.9% |
| 47 |
 Alaska |
626,932 |
710,231 |
83,299 |
13.3% |
| 48 |
 North Dakota |
642,200 |
672,591 |
30,391 |
4.7% |
| 49 |
 Vermont |
608,827 |
625,741 |
16,914 |
2.8% |
| 50 |
 Washington, D.C. |
572,059 |
601,723 |
29,664 |
5.2% |
| 51 |
 Wyoming |
493,782 |
563,626 |
69,844 |
14.1% |
| |
 United States |
281,421,906 |
308,745,538 |
27,323,632 |
9.7% |
City rankings
2010 U.S. City Population Rankings
| Rank |
City |
State |
Population |
| 1 |
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
|
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
|
8,175,133 |
| 2 |
Los Angeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
|
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
3,792,621 |
| 3 |
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
|
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
|
2,695,598 |
| 4 |
Houston |
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
2,099,451 |
| 5 |
Philadelphia |
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
|
1,526,006 |
| 6 |
PhoenixPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
|
ArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
|
1,445,632 |
| 7 |
San Antonio |
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
1,327,407 |
| 8 |
San Diego |
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
1,307,402 |
| 9 |
Dallas |
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
1,197,816 |
| 10 |
San JoseSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
|
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
945,942 |
| 11 |
JacksonvilleJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
|
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
|
821,784 |
| 12 |
Indianapolis Indianapolis is a statistical entity defined by the United States Census Bureau to represent the portion of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana that is not within the "included towns". As of the 2000 census the balance had a total population of 781,870.- Geography :According to the United States...
|
IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
|
820,445 |
| 13 |
San Francisco |
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
|
805,235 |
| 14 |
AustinAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
|
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
790,390 |
| 15 |
ColumbusColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
|
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
|
787,033 |
| 16 |
Fort WorthFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
|
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
741,206 |
| 17 |
CharlotteCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
|
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
|
731,424 |
| 18 |
Detroit |
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
|
713,777 |
| 19 |
El Paso El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
|
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
|
649,121 |
| 20 |
MemphisMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
|
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
|
646,889 |
| 21 |
BaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
|
MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
|
620,961 |
| 22 |
Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
|
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
|
617,594 |
| 23 |
Seattle |
Washington |
608,660 |
| 24 |
WashingtonWashington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
District of Columbia |
601,723 |
| 25 |
NashvilleNashville-Davidson is the name used by the U.S. Census Bureau to designate the portion of Davidson County, Tennessee, United States that does not include satellite cities of Nashville...
|
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
|
601,222 |
See also
- United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
- United States congressional apportionment
United States congressional apportionment is the process by which seats in the United States House of Representatives are redistributed amongst the 50 states following each constitutionally mandated decennial census. Each state is apportioned a number of seats which approximately corresponds to its...
- List of U.S. states by historical population
- MyTwoCensus
MyTwoCensus is a non-partisan, political watchdog group for the 2010 U.S. Census, created in February 2009. It tracks topics such as the constitutionality of including illegal immigrants in the census.-History:...
External links