New Numbers Released from the 2020 Census

• NPG
• August 31, 2021
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August 31, 2021

Census Bureau Releases New Data on Population Trends

The Census Bureau has published new data from the 2020 census. An article released by the Census Bureau highlights population trends in the United States from 2010 to 2020. Authors Paul Mackun, Joshua Comenetz, and Lindsay Spell categorized the data by county, metro/micro, and state and listed the factoids in a single sentence format.

Below are just some of the interesting points presented.

County Numbers:

Almost half (47%) of U.S. counties or equivalents gained population between 2010 and 2020.

Five counties (metro areas in parentheses) gained at least 300,000 people during that period: Harris County, Texas (Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land); Maricopa County, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler); King County, Washington (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue); Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise); and Tarrant County, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington).

Metro Areas:

The 10 largest metro areas all grew between 2010 and 2020, led by two in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land each grew by approximately 20%.

Five metro areas crossed the 1.0-million-person threshold between 2010 and 2020: Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI; Tucson, AZ; Urban Honolulu, HI; Tulsa, OK; and Fresno, CA.

Among all U.S. metro areas, The Villages in Florida grew the fastest, followed by Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX; St. George, UT; Greeley, CO; and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC.

State Trends:

California was the most populous state in 2020 (39.5 million), followed by Texas (29.1 million), Florida (21.5 million), New York (20.2 million) and Pennsylvania (13.0 million).

Overall, 13 states and the District of Columbia grew by 10.0% or greater. All are in the West or South regions, with the exception of North Dakota in the Midwest region. Massachusetts was the fastest-growing state in the Northeast at 7.4%.

The populations of three states — West Virginia, Mississippi, and Illinois — and Puerto Rico declined over the decade.

The Census Bureau will continue to disperse data as it is processed and analyzed. These numbers are important because federal funds and grants are distributed according to data garnered by the Census. The funds go to local projects such as schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, public works, public safety, and emergency preparedness. The Census also allows for a better understanding of the population of the United States and is a determining factor in the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives.  So much of NPG’s work relies on the decennial Census and the Bureau’s population projections. NPG looks forward to learning more from the 2020 Census as new information is rolled out in the coming months and beyond.

To read more about population-related issues, please see our Forum paper series by clicking here.

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