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List of U.S. states and territories by population

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Resident population of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau[needs update]
Average annual population growth rate in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between 2020 and 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau[needs update]

The states and territories included in the United States Census Bureau's statistics for the United States population, ethnicity, and most other categories include the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Separate statistics are maintained for the five permanently inhabited territories of the United States: Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.[1]

As of April 1, 2010, the date of the 2010 United States census, the nine most populous U.S. states contain slightly more than half of the total population. The 25 least populous states contain less than one-sixth of the total population. California, the most populous state, contains more people than the 21 least populous states combined, and Wyoming, the least populous state, has a population less than any of the 31 most populous U.S. cities.[needs update]

Method

[edit]

The United States Census counts the persons residing in the United States including citizens, non-citizen permanent residents and non-citizen long-term visitors.[2] Civilian and military federal employees serving abroad and their dependents are counted in their home state.[3]

Electoral apportionment

[edit]

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau is charged with making an actual count of all residents by state and territory. The accuracy of this count is then tested after the fact, and sometimes statistically significant undercounts or overcounts occur. For example, for the 2020 decennial census, 14 states had significant miscounts ranging from 1.5% to 6.6%. While these adjustments may be reflected in government programs over the following decade, the 10-year representative apportionments discussed below are not changed to reflect the miscount.[4]

House of Representatives

[edit]

Based on this decennial census, each state is allocated a portion of the 435 fixed seats in the United States House of Representatives (until the early 20th century, the apportionment process generally increased the size of the House based on the results of the census until the size of the House was capped by the Reapportionment Act of 1929), with each state guaranteed at least one Representative. The allocation is based on each state's proportion of the combined population of the fifty states (not including the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the United States Virgin Islands).

Electoral College

[edit]

The Electoral College, every four years, elects the President and Vice President of the United States based on the popular vote in each state and the District of Columbia. Each state's number of votes in the Electoral College is equal to its number of members in the Senate plus members in the House of Representatives.[5]

The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution additionally grants the District of Columbia (D.C.), which is not part of any state, as many Electoral College votes as it would have if it were a state, while having no more votes than the least populous state (currently, Wyoming). Since the U.S. Constitution guarantees every state at least one member of the U.S. House of Representatives and two members of the U.S. Senate, every state has at least three Electoral College votes. Thus, the Electoral College has 538 members (100 senators, plus 435 representatives due to the limit imposed by the Reapportionment Act of 1929, plus 3 members for the District of Columbia).[5] Territories of the United States are not included in the Electoral College: people in those territories cannot vote directly for the President of the United States,[6] although they may participate in the partisan nominating primaries and caucuses.[7]

State and territory rankings

[edit]
State or territory Census population[8][9][a] Change,
2010–2020[9][a]
Pop.
per
elec. vote
(2020)[c]
Pop.
per
seat
(2020)
[a]
% US
(2020)
% EC
(2020)
July 1, 2024 (est.) April 1, 2020 % Abs. Seats %
 California 39,431,263 39,538,223 6.13% 2,284,267 52 11.95% 732,189 760,350 11.800% 10.04%
 Texas 31,290,831 29,145,505 15.91% 3,999,944 38 8.74% 728,638 766,987 8.698% 7.43%
 Florida 23,372,215 21,538,187 14.56% 2,736,877 28 6.44% 717,940 769,221 6.428% 5.58%
 New York 19,867,248 20,201,249 4.25% 823,147 26 5.98% 721,473 776,971 6.029% 5.20%
 Pennsylvania 13,078,751 13,002,700 2.36% 300,321 17 3.91% 684,353 764,865 3.881% 3.53%
 Illinois 12,710,158 12,812,508 −0.14% −18,124 17 3.91% 674,343 753,677 3.824% 3.53%
 Ohio 11,883,304 11,799,448 2.28% 262,944 15 3.45% 694,085 786,630 3.521% 3.16%
 Georgia 11,180,878 10,711,908 10.57% 1,024,255 14 3.22% 669,494 765,136 3.197% 2.97%
 North Carolina 11,046,024 10,439,388 9.48% 903,905 14 3.22% 652,462 745,671 3.116% 2.97%
 Michigan 10,140,459 10,077,331 1.96% 193,691 13 2.99% 671,822 775,179 3.008% 2.79%
 New Jersey 9,500,851 9,288,994 5.65% 497,100 12 2.76% 663,500 774,083 2.772% 2.60%
 Virginia 8,811,195 8,631,393 7.88% 630,369 11 2.53% 663,953 784,672 2.576% 2.42%
 Washington 7,958,180 7,705,281 14.58% 980,741 10 2.30% 642,107 770,528 2.300% 2.23%
 Arizona 7,582,384 7,151,502 11.88% 759,485 9 2.07% 650,137 794,611 2.134% 2.04%
 Tennessee 7,227,750 6,910,840 8.90% 564,735 9 2.07% 628,258 767,871 2.062% 2.04%
 Massachusetts 7,136,171 7,029,917 7.37% 482,288 9 2.07% 639,083 781,102 2.098% 2.04%
 Indiana 6,924,275 6,785,528 4.65% 301,726 9 2.07% 616,866 753,948 2.025% 2.04%
 Maryland 6,263,220 6,177,224 6.99% 403,672 8 1.84% 617,722 772,153 1.844% 1.86%
 Missouri 6,245,466 6,154,913 2.77% 165,986 8 1.84% 615,491 769,364 1.837% 1.86%
 Wisconsin 5,960,975 5,893,718 3.64% 206,732 8 1.84% 589,372 736,715 1.759% 1.86%
 Colorado 5,957,493 5,773,714 14.80% 744,518 8 1.84% 577,371 721,714 1.723% 1.86%
 Minnesota 5,793,151 5,706,494 7.59% 402,569 8 1.84% 570,649 713,312 1.703% 1.86%
 South Carolina 5,478,831 5,118,425 10.66% 493,061 7 1.61% 568,714 731,204 1.528% 1.67%
 Alabama 5,157,699 5,024,279 5.12% 244,543 7 1.61% 558,253 717,754 1.499% 1.67%
 Louisiana 4,597,740 4,657,757 2.74% 124,385 6 1.38% 582,220 776,293 1.390% 1.49%
 Kentucky 4,588,372 4,505,836 3.84% 166,469 6 1.38% 563,230 750,973 1.345% 1.49%
 Oregon 4,272,371 4,237,256 10.60% 406,182 6 1.38% 529,657 706,209 1.265% 1.49%
 Oklahoma 4,095,393 3,959,353 5.54% 208,002 5 1.15% 565,622 791,871 1.182% 1.30%
 Connecticut 3,675,069 3,605,944 0.89% 31,847 5 1.15% 515,135 721,189 1.076% 1.30%
 Utah 3,503,613 3,271,616 18.37% 507,731 4 0.92% 545,269 817,904 0.976% 1.12%
 Nevada 3,267,467 3,104,614 14.96% 404,063 4 0.92% 517,436 776,154 0.927% 1.12%
 Iowa 3,241,488 3,190,369 4.73% 144,014 4 0.92% 531,728 797,592 0.952% 1.12%
 Puerto Rico 3,203,295 3,285,874 −11.81% −439,915 1* — — — 0.981% —
 Arkansas 3,088,354 3,011,524 3.28% 95,606 4 0.92% 501,921 752,881 0.899% 1.12%
 Kansas 2,970,606 2,937,880 2.97% 84,762 4 0.92% 489,647 734,470 0.877% 1.12%
 Mississippi 2,943,045 2,961,279 −0.20% −6,018 4 0.92% 493,547 740,320 0.884% 1.12%
 New Mexico 2,130,256 2,117,522 2.83% 58,343 3 0.69% 423,504 705,841 0.632% 0.93%
 Nebraska 2,005,465 1,961,504 7.40% 135,163 3 0.69% 392,301 653,835 0.585% 0.93%
 Idaho 2,001,619 1,839,106 17.32% 271,524 2 0.46% 459,777 919,553 0.549% 0.74%
 West Virginia 1,769,979 1,793,716 −3.20% −59,278 2 0.46% 448,429 896,858 0.535% 0.74%
 Hawaii 1,446,146 1,455,271 6.98% 94,970 2 0.46% 363,818 727,636 0.434% 0.74%
 New Hampshire 1,409,032 1,377,529 4.66% 61,059 2 0.46% 344,382 688,765 0.411% 0.74%
 Maine 1,405,012 1,362,359 2.56% 33,998 2 0.46% 340,590 681,180 0.407% 0.74%
 Montana 1,137,233 1,084,225 9.58% 94,810 2 0.46% 271,056 542,113 0.324% 0.74%
 Rhode Island 1,112,308 1,097,379 4.26% 44,812 2 0.46% 274,345 548,690 0.328% 0.74%
 Delaware 1,051,917 989,948 10.25% 92,014 1 0.23% 329,983 989,948 0.295% 0.56%
 South Dakota 924,669 886,667 8.90% 72,487 1 0.23% 295,556 886,667 0.265% 0.56%
 North Dakota 796,568 779,094 15.83% 106,503 1 0.23% 259,698 779,094 0.233% 0.56%
 Alaska 740,133 733,391 3.26% 23,160 1 0.23% 244,464 733,391 0.219% 0.56%
 District of Columbia 702,250 689,545 14.60% 87,822 1* — 229,848 — 0.206% 0.56%
 Vermont 648,493 643,077 2.77% 17,336 1 0.23% 214,359 643,077 0.192% 0.56%
 Wyoming 587,618 576,851 2.35% 13,225 1 0.23% 192,284 576,851 0.172% 0.56%
 Guam[11] N/A 153,836 −3.47% −5,522 1* — — — 0.046% —
 U.S. Virgin Islands[12] N/A 87,146 −18.10% −19,259 1* — — — 0.026% —
 American Samoa[13] N/A 49,710 −10.46% −5,809 1* — — — 0.015% —
 Northern Mariana Islands[14] N/A 47,329 −12.16% −6,554 1* — — — 0.014% —
Contiguous United States 337,924,709 329,260,619 7.36% 22,585,613 432
(+1*) 		99.31% 623,600 756,921 98.265% 98.70%
The 50 states 339,408,738 330,759,736 7.34% 22,615,921 435 100% 618,242 760,367 98.713% 99.44%
The 50 states and D.C. 340,110,988 331,449,281 7.35% 22,703,743 435
(+1*) 		100% 616,077 — 98.918% 100%
Total US and territories N/A 335,073,176 7.10% 22,226,684 435
(+6*) 		100% — — 100% —

* — non-voting member of the House of Representatives.

  1. ^ a b c Resident population only; does not include overseas population. In 2022, the Census Bureau announced the following undercounts (missed residents) in the 2020 census: Arkansas (−5.04%), Florida (−3.48%), Illinois (−1.97%), Mississippi (−4.11%), Tennessee (−4.78%) and Texas (−1.92%). These were the overcounts: Delaware (+5.45%), Hawaii (+6.79%), Massachusetts (+2.24%), Minnesota (+3.84%), New York (+3.44%), Ohio (+1.49%), Rhode Island (+5.05%) and Utah (+2.59%).[10]
  2. ^ Effective from 2022 onward.
  3. ^ Effective from the 2022 elections onward. Each state has a number of votes in the Electoral College equal to its number of senators (two) and representatives in the Congress, while D.C. is granted three electoral votes. The Electoral College is used to elect the President and Vice President of the United States.

Summary of population by region

[edit]
Legend
Division totals – 9 divisions for 50 states and District of Columbia
Region totals – 4 regions (2 or 3 divisions each)
Individual territories
Total U.S. territories
50 states + District of Columbia
Divisions & regions as defined by U.S. Census Bureau
Last col. shows larger region which contains entity in col. 1

Column header abbreviations: # = Rank, Geo. = Geographic

Population of states, territories, divisions and region[15]
State/federal district/territory/
division/region 		# 2020 pop. # 2010 pop. # 2000 pop. # 2010–
2020
change 		Geo.
sort
 Massachusetts 15 7,029,917 14 6,547,629 13 6,349,097 21 7.4% NEng
 Connecticut 29 3,605,944 29 3,574,097 29 3,405,565 47 0.9% NEng
 New Hampshire 41 1,377,529 42 1,316,470 41 1,235,786 30 4.6% NEng
 Maine 42 1,362,359 41 1,328,361 40 1,274,923 42 2.6% NEng
 Rhode Island 43 1,097,379 43 1,052,567 43 1,048,319 31 4.3% NEng
 Vermont 49 643,077 49 625,741 49 608,827 40 2.8% NEng
       New England 9 15,116,205 9 14,444,865 9 13,922,517 7 4.6% NEast
 New York 4 20,201,249 3 19,378,102 3 18,976,457 32 4.2% MAtl
 Pennsylvania 5 13,002,700 6 12,702,379 6 12,281,054 43 2.4% MAtl
 New Jersey 11 9,288,994 11 8,791,894 9 8,414,350 25 5.7% MAtl
       Mid-Atlantic 4 42,492,943 4 40,872,375 4 39,671,861 8 4.0% NEast
       Northeast 4 57,609,148 4 55,317,240 4 53,594,378 3 4.1% USA
 Florida 3 21,538,187 4 18,801,310 4 15,982,378 8 14.6% SAtl
 Georgia 8 10,711,908 9 9,687,653 10 8,186,453 12 10.6% SAtl
 North Carolina 9 10,439,388 10 9,535,483 11 8,049,313 15 9.5% SAtl
 Virginia 12 8,631,393 12 8,001,024 12 7,078,515 18 7.9% SAtl
 Maryland 18 6,177,224 19 5,773,552 19 5,296,486 22 7.0% SAtl
 South Carolina 23 5,118,425 24 4,625,364 26 4,012,012 10 10.7% SAtl
 West Virginia 39 1,793,716 37 1,852,994 37 1,808,344 50 −3.2% SAtl
 Delaware 45 989,948 45 897,934 45 783,600 13 10.2% SAtl
 District of Columbia – 689,545 – 601,723 – 572,059 – 14.6% SAtl
       South Atlantic 1 66,089,734 1 59,777,037 1 51,769,160 3 10.6% South
 Tennessee 16 6,910,840 17 6,346,105 16 5,689,283 17 8.9% ESC
 Alabama 24 5,024,279 23 4,779,736 23 4,447,100 27 5.1% ESC
 Kentucky 26 4,505,836 26 4,339,367 25 4,041,769 33 3.8% ESC
 Mississippi 34 2,961,279 31 2,967,297 31 2,844,658 49 −0.2% ESC
       East South Central 8 19,402,234 8 18,432,505 8 17,022,810 6 5.3% South
 Texas 2 29,145,505 2 25,145,561 2 20,851,820 3 15.9% WSC
 Louisiana 25 4,657,757 25 4,533,372 22 4,468,976 41 2.7% WSC
 Oklahoma 28 3,959,353 28 3,751,351 27 3,450,654 26 5.5% WSC
 Arkansas 33 3,011,524 32 2,915,918 33 2,673,400 35 3.3% WSC
       West South Central 5 40,774,139 5 36,346,202 5 31,444,850 2 12.2% South
       South 1 126,266,107 1 114,555,744 1 100,236,820 1 10.2% USA
 Illinois 6 12,812,508 5 12,830,632 5 12,419,293 48 −0.1% ENC
 Ohio 7 11,799,448 7 11,536,504 7 11,353,140 45 2.3% ENC
 Michigan 10 10,077,331 8 9,883,640 8 9,938,444 46 2.0% ENC
 Indiana 17 6,785,528 15 6,483,802 14 6,080,485 29 4.7% ENC
 Wisconsin 20 5,893,718 20 5,686,986 18 5,363,675 34 3.6% ENC
       East North Central 3 47,368,533 3 46,421,564 2 45,155,037 9 2.0% MWest
 Missouri 19 6,154,913 18 5,988,927 17 5,595,211 39 2.8% WNC
 Minnesota 22 5,706,494 21 5,303,925 21 4,919,479 19 7.6% WNC
 Iowa 31 3,190,369 30 3,046,355 30 2,926,324 28 4.7% WNC
 Kansas 35 2,937,880 33 2,853,118 32 2,688,418 37 3.0% WNC
 Nebraska 37 1,961,504 38 1,826,341 38 1,711,263 20 7.4% WNC
 South Dakota 46 886,667 46 814,180 46 754,844 16 8.9% WNC
 North Dakota 47 779,094 48 672,591 47 642,200 4 15.8% WNC
       West North Central 7 21,616,921 7 20,505,437 6 19,237,739 5 5.4% MWest
       Midwest 3 68,985,454 3 66,927,001 2 64,392,776 4 3.1% USA
 Arizona 14 7,151,502 16 6,392,017 20 5,130,632 9 11.9% Mtn
 Colorado 21 5,773,714 22 5,029,196 24 4,301,261 6 14.8% Mtn
 Utah 30 3,271,616 34 2,763,885 34 2,233,169 1 18.4% Mtn
 Nevada 32 3,104,614 35 2,700,551 35 1,998,257 5 15.0% Mtn
 New Mexico 36 2,117,522 36 2,059,179 36 1,819,046 38 2.8% Mtn
 Idaho 38 1,839,106 39 1,567,582 39 1,293,953 2 17.3% Mtn
 Montana 44 1,084,225 44 989,415 44 902,195 14 9.6% Mtn
 Wyoming 50 576,851 50 563,626 50 493,782 44 2.3% Mtn
       Mountain 6 24,919,150 6 22,065,451 7 18,172,295 1 12.9% West
 California 1 39,538,223 1 37,253,956 1 33,871,648 24 6.1% Pac
 Washington 13 7,705,281 13 6,724,540 15 5,894,121 7 14.6% Pac
 Oregon 27 4,237,256 27 3,831,074 28 3,421,399 11 10.6% Pac
 Hawaii 40 1,455,271 40 1,360,301 42 1,211,537 23 7.0% Pac
 Alaska 48 733,391 47 710,231 48 626,932 36 3.3% Pac
       Pacific 2 53,669,422 2 49,880,102 3 45,025,637 4 7.6% West
       West 2 78,588,572 2 71,945,553 3 63,197,932 2 9.2% USA
 50 states and District of Columbia – 331,449,281 – 308,745,538 – 281,421,906 – 7.4% NAmer
 Puerto Rico 1 3,285,874 1 3,725,789 1 3,808,610 3 −11.8% I.A.
 Guam 2 153,836 2 159,358 2 154,805 1 −3.5% I.A.
 U.S. Virgin Islands 3 87,146 3 106,405 3 108,612 2 −18.1% I.A.
 American Samoa 4 49,710 4 55,519 5 57,291 4 −7.7% I.A.
 Northern Mariana Islands 5 47,329 5 53,883 4 69,221 5 −14.8% I.A.
United States Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 6 [note 1] 6 [note 2] 6 316 6 — I.A.
       Island Areas (Territories) – 3,623,895 – 4,100,954 – 4,198,855 – −11.6% USA
State/federal district/territory/
division/region 		# 2020 pop. # 2010 pop. # 2000 pop. # 2010–
2020
change 		Geo.
sort

See also

[edit]

Explanatory notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Not enumerated in 2020.
  2. ^ Not enumerated in 2010.

References

[edit]
General
  • "National Totals: Vintage 2015". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  • "2010 Census Tables". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  • "Congressional Apportionment: 2010 Census Brief". U. S. Census Bureau. November 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  • "2009 Census estimates". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1995, U.S. Census Bureau, Section 29: Outlying Areas, Table No. 1347. Land Area and Population Characteristics, by [Outlying] Area: 1990 (page 828). Retrieved May 28, 2011
Specific
  1. ^ Geographic Terms and Concepts - Island Areas of the United States, U.S. Census Bureau, archived from the original on December 10, 2016, retrieved March 19, 2019
  2. ^ "FAQ: Does the Census Bureau collect data on the number of unauthorized migrants?". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "FAQ: Will 2010 Census apportionment population counts also include any Americans overseas". U. S Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Wang, Hansi Lo (May 19, 2022). "These 14 states had significant miscounts in the 2020 census". NPR. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Office of the Federal Register. "A Procedural Guide to the Electoral College". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  6. ^ Shah, Dayna K.; Reich, Mary W. (November 1997). U.S. Insular Areas: Application of the U.S. Constitution (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO/OGC-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Curry, Tom (May 28, 2008). "Nominating, but not voting for president". NBC News. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Annual and cumulative estimates of residential population change for the United States, regions, states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 2024" (PDF). Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2020 Undercount and Overcount Rates by State and the District of Columbia". Census.gov. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  11. ^ "2020 Island Areas Censuses: Guam, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "2020 Island Areas Censuses: U.S. Virgin Islands, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of the United States Virgin Islands: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  13. ^ "2020 Island Areas Censuses: American Samoa, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of American Samoa: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "2020 Island Areas Censuses: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
[edit]
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