U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 

### Issued March 2011

C2010BR-01 

# Population Distribution and Change:

2000 to 2010

2010 Census Briefs

By

Paul Mackun

and

Steven Wilson

(With Thomas Fischetti and Justyna Goworowska) 

### INTROD UCTIO N

The 2010 Census reported
308.7 million people in the
United States, a 9.7 percent

increase from the Census 2000
population of 281.4 million.
This report discusses popula

tion change between 2000 and
2010 for several geographic
levels, including regions,
states, metropolitan and micro

politan statistical areas, coun

ties, and places.



### NATIONAL AND

REGIONAL CHANGE

The increase of 9.7 percent

over the last decade was lower
than the 13.2 percent increase
for the 1990s and comparable
to the growth during the 1980s
of 9.8 percent (Figure 1). Since
1900, only the 1930s experi

enced a lower growth rate (7.3
percent) than this past decade. 1



### From 2000 to 2010, regional
growth was much faster for the

South and West (14.3 and 13.8
percent, respectively) than for
the Midwest (3.9 percent) and
Northeast (3.2 percent)

1 References to historical data in the report are

based on the Census 2000 PHC-T series <www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000 /briefs/tablist.html>; Frank Hobbs and Nicole Stoops, **Demographic Trends in the 20th Century** , Census 2000 Special Reports, CENSR-4, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2002; and Richard L. Forstall, **Population of States and Counties of the United**

**States: 1790 to 1990** , U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1996. National historical data calcu

lations before 1960 include Alaska and Hawaii. 

### (Table 1, Figure 2). The South grew by

14.3 million over the decade to 114.6
million people, while the West increased
by 8.7 million to reach 71.9 million
people—surpassing the population of
the Midwest. The Midwest gained 2.5
million, increasing that region’s popula

tion to 66.9 million, and the Northeast’s
gain of 1.7 million brought that region’s Figur e 1. 

### U.S. Population Change: 1950–1960 to

2000–2010

Gr owth (in millions) **Percentage change** (For mor e information on confidentiality pr otection, nonsampling err or , and definitions, see

**www .census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)** 

2000

– 201 0 1990–

2000 1980–

1990 1970–

1980 1960–

1970 1950–

1960

Note: Change for 1950–1960 includes the populations of Alaska and Hawaii in the U.S. total, although they wer e not U.S. states at
the time of the 1950 census.

Sour ce: U.S. Census Bur eau, 2010 Census; Census 2000; Frank Hobbs and Nicole Stoops, **Demographic T rends in the 20th**  **Century** , Census 2000 Special Reports, CENSR-4, U.S. Census

Bur eau, W ashington, DC, 2002; and Richar d L. Forstall, **Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990**  , U.S.

Census Bur eau, W ashington, DC, 1996. 27. 3

**9.7** 28.0

23.9 23.3 22.2 32.7

**18.5**

**13.3**

**11.5**

**9.8 13.2** 

### 2 U.S. Census Bureau 

### population to 55.3 million. Overall,

the South and West accounted for
84.4 percent of the U.S. popula

tion increase from 2000 to 2010,
an increase from their 77.0 percent
share of the total change from

1990 to 2000.



### STATE-LEVEL CHANGE

Nevada was the fastest-growing

state between 2000 and 2010,
growing by 35.1 percent (Table 1).
It was followed by Arizona (24.6
percent), Utah (23.8 percent), Idaho
(21.1 percent), and Texas (20.6
percent). Rhode Island, Louisiana,

and Ohio were the slowestincreasing states, all of which grew
by less than 2.0 percent. Unlike the
1990s in which every state grew,
one state (Michigan) declined over
this decade, losing 0.6 percent
of its population. 2 

### (Puerto Rico’s
population declined by 2.2 percent
to 3.7 million people.)

Between 2000 and 2010, Texas
experienced the highest numeric
increase, up by 4.3 million people.
California, which had the largest
population increase in the previous
decade, increased by 3.4 million
over the same period; followed
by Florida (2.8 million), Georgia

(1.5 million), North Carolina (1.5

million), and Arizona (1.3 million).

These six states, which were the
only states to gain over a mil

lion people during the decade,
accounted for over half (54.0 per

cent) of the overall increase for the

United States.

The concentration of high percent

age changes among the western

and southern states maintains a pattern from recent decades (Figure
3). Nevada is the only state that has maintained a growth rate of 25.0 percent or greater for the
last three decades; it has been the fastest-growing state for five

2 The District of Columbia’s population

declined between 1990 and 2000. 

### Table 1. 

### Population Change for the United States, Regions, States,

and Puerto Rico: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf )

Area Population Change

2000 2010 Number Percent

**United States** 

**� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� 281,421,906**  **308,745,538 27,323,632**  **9**

**. 7** 

**REGION**

Northeast

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53,594,378 55,317,240 1,722,862 3

. 2
Midwest

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 64,392,776 66,927,001 2,534,225 3

. 9 South

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 100,236,820 114,555,744 14,318,924 14

. 3
West

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 63,197,932 71,945,553 8,747,621 13

. 8

**STATE**
Alabama

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,447,100 4,779,736 332,636 7

. 5
Alaska

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 626,932 710,231 83,299 13

. 3
Arizona

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,130,632 6,392,017 1,261,385 24

. 6
Arkansas

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,673,400 2,915,918 242,518 9

. 1 California

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 33,871,648 37,253,956 3,382,308 10

. 0 Colorado

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,301,261 5,029,196 727,935 16

. 9 Connecticut

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,405,565 3,574,097 168,532 4

. 9
Delaware

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 783,600 897,934 114,334 14

. 6 District of Columbia

� � � � � � � � � � � � 572,059 601,723 29,664 5

. 2
Florida

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,982,378 18,801,310 2,818,932 17

. 6 Georgia

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,186,453 9,687,653 1,501,200 18

. 3

Hawaii

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,211,537 1,360,301 148,764 12

. 3
Idaho

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,293,953 1,567,582 273,629 21

. 1
Illinois

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,419,293 12,830,632 411,339 3

. 3
Indiana

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6,080,485 6,483,802 403,317 6

. 6
Iowa

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,926,324 3,046,355 120,031 4

. 1
Kansas

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,688,418 2,853,118 164,700 6

. 1 Kentucky

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,041,769 4,339,367 297,598 7

. 4
Louisiana

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,468,976 4,533,372 64,396 1

. 4
Maine

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,274,923 1,328,361 53,438 4

. 2 Maryland

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,296,486 5,773,552 477,066 9

. 0

Massachusetts

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6,349,097 6,547,629 198,532 3

. 1 Michigan

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,938,444 9,883,640 –54,804 –0

. 6
Minnesota

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,919,479 5,303,925 384,446 7

. 8 Mississippi

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,844,658 2,967,297 122,639 4

. 3
Missouri

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,595,211 5,988,927 393,716 7

. 0
Montana

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 902,195 989,415 87,220 9

. 7
Nebraska

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,711,263 1,826,341 115,078 6

. 7
Nevada

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,998,257 2,700,551 702,294 35

. 1 New Hampshire

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,235,786 1,316,470 80,684 6

. 5 New Jersey

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,414,350 8,791,894 377,544 4

. 5

New Mexico

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,819,046 2,059,179 240,133 13

. 2
New York

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18,976,457 19,378,102 401,645 2

. 1 North Carolina

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,049,313 9,535,483 1,486,170 18

. 5
North Dakota

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 642,200 672,591 30,391 4

. 7 Ohio

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11,353,140 11,536,504 183,364 1

. 6 Oklahoma

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,450,654 3,751,351 300,697 8

. 7 Oregon

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,421,399 3,831,074 409,675 12

. 0 Pennsylvania

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,281,054 12,702,379 421,325 3

. 4
Rhode Island

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,048,319 1,052,567 4,248 0

. 4 South Carolina

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,012,012 4,625,364 613,352 15

. 3

South Dakota

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 754,844 814,180 59,336 7

. 9
Tennessee

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,689,283 6,346,105 656,822 11

. 5
Texas

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 20,851,820 25,145,561 4,293,741 20

. 6
Utah

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,233,169 2,763,885 530,716 23

. 8
Vermont

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 608,827 625,741 16,914 2

. 8 Virginia

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7,078,515 8,001,024 922,509 13

. 0 Washington

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,894,121 6,724,540 830,419 14

. 1 West Virginia

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,808,344 1,852,994 44,650 2

. 5
Wisconsin

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,363,675 5,686,986 323,311 6

. 0 Wyoming

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 493,782 563,626 69,844 14

. 1

**Puerto Rico** 

**� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� 3,808,610**  **3,725,789 –82,821**  **–2**

**. 2** 

Source: U

. S

. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000

.U.S. Census Bureau 

### 3 straight decades. Six states, includ

ing five in the West, grew by 25.0
percent or more between 1990 and 2000. Wyoming, after hav

ing lost population between 1980
and 1990, has grown over the
past two decades, surpassing the

national level between 2000 and 2010. Between 2000 and 2010, the
District of Columbia experienced its
first decennial population increase
since the 1940s, increasing by 5.2
percent to surpass 600,000 people.

New Hampshire increased by
6.5 percent between 2000 and 2010, the fifth straight decade it
has grown at a rate faster than
any other state in the Northeast.
Whereas New York and New Jersey
had the largest numeric gains in the
region in the 1990s, Pennsylvania
gained the most population in the
region between 2000 and 2010,
increasing by 421,000 people.

South Dakota, growing by 7.9
percent between 2000 and 2010,
was the fastest-growing state in the
Midwest during this period—
replacing Minnesota, which had
been the fastest-growing state
over the previous three decades.
Illinois and Indiana had the largest
numeric increases in that region
over the decade, increasing by
411,000 and 403,000, respectively.



### MOST POPULOUS STATES

The ten most populous states con

tained 54.0 percent of the U.S. pop

ulation in 2010 (similar to the per

centage in 2000) with one-fourth
(26.5 percent) of the U.S. popula

tion in the three largest states:
California (the most populous state

since the 1970 Census), Texas, and

New York. These three states had
April 1, 2010, populations of Figur e 2. 

### Regions and States: 2010

Region

Northeast

Midwest

South

W

est

Sour ce: U.S. Census Bur eau, 2010 Census. MT AK

NM OR MN

KS SD ND

MO WA

FL IL IN WI NY

PA MI

OH IA ME

MA

CT

AZ

HI NV

TX CO CA WY

UT ID

NE

OK

GA AR

AL NC

MS

LA TN KY VA

SC WV RI

DE
MD

DC NJ VT NH



### Figur e 3. 

### Percentage Change in Population by State and Decade:

1980–1990 to 2000–2010 Per centage

1980–1990

U.S. change = 9.8 1990–2000

U.S. change = 13.2 2000–2010

U.S. change = 9.7 25.0 or mor e
10.0 to 24.9

0.0 to 9.9

Less than 0.0

Sour ce: U.S. Census Bur eau, 2010 Census, Census 2000, 1990 Census, and 1980 Census

. (For information on confidentiality pr otection, nonsampling er ro r, and definitions, see

**www .census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pd**  **f** )

DC 

### Figur e 2. 

### Regions and States: 2010

Region

Northeast

Midwest

South

W

est

Sour ce: U.S. Census Bur eau, 2010 Census DC DC DC

### 4 U.S. Census Bureau 

### 37.3 million, 25.1 million, and
19.4 million, respectively. The
next seven most populous states—
Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Michigan, Georgia, and North

Carolina—contained an additional
27.5 percent of the population.
Nine of the ten largest states in
2000 were also among the ten larg

est in 2010. North Carolina, which
was the eleventh largest state in
2000, moved into the top ten for
2010 (tenth largest)—replacing
New Jersey, which fell from ninth
largest in 2000 to eleventh

in 2010.

The ten most populous and the
ten least populous states are dis

tributed among the four regions.
The South contained the greatest
number (four) of the ten largest

states, with three others in the

Midwest, two in the Northeast, and

one in the West. Furthermore, the

Northeast contained four of the ten
least populous states (Maine, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and

Vermont), with three others in the

West (Alaska, Montana, and
Wyoming), two in the Midwest

(North Dakota and South Dakota),

and one in the South (Delaware).



### METROPOLITAN

AND MICROPOLITAN

STATISTICAL AREAS

Over four-fifths (83.7 percent) of
the U.S. population in 2010 lived in

the nation’s 366 metro areas, and
another one-tenth (10.0 percent) of the population resided in the

nation’s 576 micro areas (Table
2). Metro areas grew almost twice
as fast as micro areas, 10.8 per

cent compared to 5.9 percent.
Population growth of at least twice
the national rate occurred in many

metro and micro areas, such as
some areas in parts of California,

Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida,

and the Carolinas. No metro area in
the West region declined (Figure 4).

All ten of the most populous
metro areas in 2010 grew over the

decade, with Houston, Atlanta, and
Dallas-Fort Worth (26.1 percent,
24.0 percent, and 23.4 percent,
respectively) the fastest-growing
among them (Table 3). The Atlanta

metro area accounted for over
one-half (54.4 percent) of Georgia’s
2010 population and over twothirds (68.0 percent) of the state’s
population growth during the last

decade. In addition, the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas
together accounted for almost
one-half (49.0 percent) of Texas’
population and over one-half (56.9
percent) of its population growth.

Two other top-ten metro areas
experienced double-digit growth:
Washington, DC (16.4 percent) and
Miami (11.1 percent). The New
York metro area, with a population
of 18.9 million (6.1 percent of the
U.S. population), and Los Angeles,
with a population of 12.8 million
(4.2 percent of the U.S. population),
were the two most populous metro

areas in the nation. Combined,
approximately 1 of every 10 people

in the United States lived in either
the New York or Los Angeles metro

areas in 2010.

Among all 366 metro areas, Palm
Coast, FL, was the fastest-growing
between 2000 and 2010 (up 92.0
percent), followed by St. George,
UT, (up 52.9 percent), and by three Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas —metro and
micro areas—are geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget for use by federal statistical agencies in col

lecting, tabulating, and publishing federal statistics. Metro and micro
areas are collectively known as core based statistical areas (CBSAs). A
metro area contains a core urban area population of 50,000 or more.
A micro area contains a core urban area population of at least 10,000
(but less than 50,000). Each metro or micro area consists of one or
more counties and includes the counties containing the core urban
area, as well as any adjacent counties that have a high degree of
social and economic integration (as measured by commuting to work)

with the urban core.

Table 2. 

### Population by Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) Status: 2000 and 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf )

Area Population Share of U

. S

. population Change

2000 2010 2000 2010 Number Percent

**United States** 

**� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **� �**  **281,421,906 308,745,538**  **100**

**. 0**  **100**

**. 0**  **27,323,632 9** 

**. 7** 

Inside CBSA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 262,290,227 289,261,315 93

. 2 93

. 7 26,971,088 10

. 3

Metropolitan

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 233,069,827 258,317,763 82

. 8 83

. 7 25,247,936 10

. 8 Micropolitan

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29,220,400 30,943,552 10

. 4 10

. 0 1,723,152 5

. 9

Outside CBSA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 19,131,679 19,484,223 6

. 8 6

. 3 352,544 1

. 8

Note: Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of December 2009

.

Source: U

. S

. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000

.U.S. Census Bureau 

### 5 other areas with population growth
rates over 40.0 percent: Las Vegas,
Raleigh, and Cape Coral (Table 3).

The ten fastest-growing metro
areas included both large and small
metro areas, ranging from three
areas with 2010 populations of
more than 1.0 million (Las Vegas,
Austin, and Raleigh) to one below

100,000 (Palm Coast, FL). The Las
Vegas metro area accounted for
almost three-quarters (72.3 per

cent) of Nevada’s 2010 population
and over four-fifths (81.9 percent)
of the state’s growth.

Many of the fast-growing micro

areas were located near fastgrowing metro areas. Likewise,
many of the micro areas that were
slow-growing or declining were located near slow-growing or
declining metro areas.



### COUNTIES

Almost two-thirds of the nation’s
3,143 counties gained population

between 2000 and 2010. Most
counties along the Pacific, Atlantic,
and Gulf Coasts grew between

2000 and 2010, as did most coun

ties adjacent to the southern U.S.
border (Figure 5). Furthermore,
many counties in the South—
such as those in parts of Florida,
northern Georgia, North Carolina,
Virginia, and the eastern half of
Texas—experienced growth at or
above 10 percent. In the West, all
counties in Utah experienced popu

lation growth in the last decade,
with some of those gains being 25 percent or more. Most New England counties grew, but most of

these increased at rates below

10 percent. 3



### The counties that lost population
were mostly regionally clustered
and mirrored decades of population
loss for those areas; for example,
many Appalachian counties in
eastern Kentucky and West Virginia;
many Great Plains counties in the

Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and
Texas; and a group of counties in
and around the Mississippi Delta
saw population declines. In addi

tion, many counties along the Great

Lakes and on the northern U.S.

3 New England consists of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. 

### Figure 4. 

### Percentage Change in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Population: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see **www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pI94-171.pdf)**

Note: Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of December 2009. Broomfield County, CO, was formed from parts of Adams, Boulder, Jefferson, and Weld Counties, CO, on November 15, 2001, and was coextensive with Broomfield city. For purposes of presenting data for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, Broomfield is treated as if it were a county at the time of Census 2000.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000. Percentage change

19.4 or more
9.7 to 19.3
0.0 to 9.6 Less than 0.0

19.4 or more 9.7 to 19.3
0.0 to 9.6 Less than 0.0 Metropolitan
statistical area

Micropolitan
statistical area

U.S. total population percentage increase: 9.7

### 6 U.S. Census Bureau 

### border either lost population or
grew below 10 percent.

Some counties in midwestern metro
areas grew rapidly (50 percent or
more), even though the surround

ing counties grew more slowly or
declined. Examples include (metro
area in parentheses): Delaware
County, OH, (Columbus); Hamilton
County, IN, (Indianapolis); Kendall
County, IL, (Chicago), and Dallas
County, IA, (Des Moines).

Some counties with the largest
numeric gains in population con

tained large cities, such as Phoenix
and Houston. Some of the largest

numeric losses also occurred in

counties containing or coextensive with large cities, such as Detroit,
Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh,
Buffalo, Baltimore, St. Louis, and
New Orleans. Not surprisingly,
many of the counties with large
numeric change were also the ones
with large populations (Figure 6),
such as some counties in parts of California, Arizona, Texas,
Florida, and in the corridor from
Boston to Washington, DC. In
contrast to the many large counties
found in California, for example,
the most populous counties in

states such as Montana,
Wyoming, and the Dakotas were
much smaller. In fact, none of these
four states contained a county
with a 2010 Census population
of 200,000 or more. Montana and
South Dakota each possessed only
two counties with populations of

100,000 or more; North Dakota
only contained one; and Wyoming
did not have any county of that
population size.

Los Angeles County, CA, with a
population of 9.8 million, remained
the most populous county in the
United States since 1960, followed
by Cook County, IL, (containing
Chicago), and Harris County, TX,
(containing Houston) (Table 4). Nine
of the ten largest counties grew, led by Maricopa County, AZ, (contain

ing Phoenix) and Harris County, TX,
with rates of 24.2 and 20.3 per

cent, respectively. Cook County, IL,
was the exception, declining by

3.4 percent.

In 2010, Maricopa County con

tained 59.7 percent of Arizona’s
population and accounted for
59.1 percent of the state’s growth
between 2000 and 2010. Large

counties in other states also
accounted for large portions of
their state’s population and growth.
For example, the two Texas coun

ties (Harris and Dallas) that were
among the ten largest nationally
accounted for over one-quarter
(25.7 percent) of the population of
the nation’s second-largest state
and 19.6 percent of its growth.

As with the largest counties and
those with the largest numeric
gains, many of the fastest-growing

counties with a Census 2000
population of 10,000 or more were Table 3. 

### Population Change for the Ten Most Populous and Ten Fastest-Growing Metropolitan

Statistical Areas: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf )

Metropolitan statistical area Population Change

2000 2010 Number Percent

**MOST POPULOUS**  New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18,323,002 18,897,109 574,107 3

. 1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,365,627 12,828,837 463,210 3

. 7 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,098,316 9,461,105 362,789 4

. 0 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,161,544 6,371,773 1,210,229 23

. 4 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,687,147 5,965,343 278,196 4

. 9 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,715,407 5,946,800 1,231,393 26

. 1 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,796,183 5,582,170 785,987 16

. 4 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,007,564 5,564,635 557,071 11

. 1 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,247,981 5,268,860 1,020,879 24

. 0 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,391,344 4,552,402 161,058 3

. 7

**FASTEST-GROWING** Palm Coast, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 49,832 95,696 45,864 92

. 0

St

. George , UT

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 90,354 138,115 47,761 52

. 9 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,375,765 1,951,269 575,504 41

. 8 Raleigh-Cary, NC

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 797,071 1,130,490 333,419 41

. 8 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 440,888 618,754 177,866 40

. 3 Provo-Orem, UT

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 376,774 526,810 150,036 39

. 8 Greeley, CO

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 180,926 252,825 71,899 39

. 7 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,249,763 1,716,289 466,526 37

. 3 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 196,629 269,291 72,662 37

. 0 Bend, OR

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 115,367 157,733 42,366 36

. 7

Note: The full names of the metropolitan statistical areas are shown in this table; abbreviated versions of the names are shown in the text

. Source: U

. S

. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000

.U.S. Census Bureau 

### 7 Numeric Change 

### Figure 5. 

### Change in Population by County: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see **www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)**

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000. U.S. change: 9.7 percent Percentage Change 40,000 or more 20,000 to 39,999 10,000 to 19,999 0 to 9,999

– 1 to

– 9,999 Less than

– 9,999 Number

50.0 or more
25.0 to 49.9 10.0 to 24.9 0.0 to 9.9

– 9.9 to

– 0.0 Less than

– 9.9 Percentage Comparable data
not available

Comparable data
not available

### 8 U.S. Census Bureau0 100 Miles0 100 Miles0 200 Miles0 100 Miles0 50 MilesNumber of peopleSource: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.The area of each diamond symbol is proportioned to the number of people in a county. The legendpresents example symbol sizes from the many symbols shown on the map.(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see**www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)**100,0001,000,0005,000,00010,000,000Figure 6.Population Distribution by County: 2010U.S. Census Bureau 

### 9 in metro areas. Two counties with
Census 2000 populations of 10,000
or greater more than doubled their
populations between 2000 and
2010 (metro area in parentheses):
Kendall County, IL, (Chicago) and
Pinal County, AZ, (Phoenix) (Table
4). In comparison, three counties
with 1990 populations of 10,000
or greater more than doubled
their populations between 1990
and 2000: Douglas County, CO,
(Denver); Forsyth County, GA; and
Henry County, GA (Atlanta).

Another six counties in this size
range experienced growth rates
between 75 percent and 100
percent between 2000 and 2010:
Flagler County, FL, (Palm Coast);
Lincoln County, SD, (Sioux Falls);
Loudoun County, VA, (Washington,
DC); Rockwall County, TX, (DallasFort Worth); Forsyth County, GA,
(Atlanta); and Sumter County, FL, (located in a micro area to the west
of Orlando).

Population density for counties
continued to vary widely across
the country in 2010 (Figure 7).

Counties in the Northeast and
South were generally more densely
populated than many of the coun

ties in the Midwest and West, which

contained numerous counties with
densities lower than 10 people per
square mile. The highest densi

ties included some of the counties
along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf
coasts, some counties adjacent to

the Great Lakes, and some counties

in western North Carolina, west

ern South Carolina, and northern
Georgia, among others. An almost

unbroken chain of coastal counties
with population densities of
300 people per square mile or more
runs from New Hampshire through
northern Virginia. 

### PLACES

In this section, we examine popu

lation change from 2000 to 2010
for incorporated places that had
populations of 10,000 or more in

Census 2000. Nine of the ten most
populous cities gained population
this past decade (Table 5). Led by
New York (8.2 million), Los Angeles
(3.8 million), and Chicago (2.7 mil

lion), the six most populous cities
kept their same rank as in 2000;
fourth-ranked Houston surpassed
the 2 million mark during the

decade. San Antonio—which had
the largest numeric increase and
the largest percentage increase
among the top ten—moved ahead of San Diego and Dallas into sev

enth place, while San Jose replaced
Detroit as the tenth most populous
city. Chicago, which had grown
between 1990 and 2000, was the
only top-ten city in 2010 to expe

rience decline over the decade
(–6.9 percent), while Philadelphia’s
gain between 2000 and 2010 was its first decennial gain since the
1940–1950 period. The seven cities
that were not only in the top ten in
both 2000 and 2010, but also grew

between 1990–2000 and 2000–
2010 (New York, Los Angeles,
Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio,
San Diego, and Dallas) experienced
smaller numeric and percentage

increases between 2000 and 2010
than they did between 1990 and

2000. 4 

### Furthermore, the cumula

tive gain between 2000 and 2010 for the ten largest cities (including
the loss for Chicago) was approxi

mately 670,000, which was less than the roughly 686,000 gain for

New York alone from 1990 to 2000.

Of incorporated places with Census
2000 populations of 10,000 or
greater, nine of the ten fastestgrowing ones between 2000 and

4 Philadelphia was in the top ten between

1990 and 2000 but declined over that

decade. 

### Table 4. 

### Population Change for the Ten Most Populous and Ten Fastest-Growing Counties: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf )

County Population Change

2000 2010 Number Percent

**MOST POPULOUS**  Los Angeles, CA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,519,338 9,818,605 299,267 3

. 1 Cook, IL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,376,741 5,194,675 –182,066 –3

. 4 Harris, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,400,578 4,092,459 691,881 20

. 3 Maricopa, AZ

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,072,149 3,817,117 744,968 24

. 2 San Diego, CA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,813,833 3,095,313 281,480 10

. 0 Orange, CA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,846,289 3,010,232 163,943 5

. 8 Kings, NY

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,465,326 2,504,700 39,374 1

. 6 Miami-Dade, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,253,362 2,496,435 243,073 10

. 8 Dallas, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,218,899 2,368,139 149,240 6

. 7 Queens, NY

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,229,379 2,230,722 1,343 0

. 1

**FASTEST-GROWING 1** 
Kendall, IL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 54,544 114,736 60,192 110

. 4 Pinal, AZ

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 179,727 375,770 196,043 109

. 1 Flagler, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 49,832 95,696 45,864 92

. 0 Lincoln, SD

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24,131 44,828 20,697 85

. 8 Loudoun, VA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 169,599 312,311 142,712 84

. 1 Rockwall, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 43,080 78,337 35,257 81

. 8 Forsyth, GA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 98,407 175,511 77,104 78

. 4 Sumter, FL

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53,345 93,420 40,075 75

. 1 Paulding, GA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 81,678 142,324 60,646 74

. 3 Henry, GA

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 119,341 203,922 84,581 70

. 9

1 Among counties with Census 2000 populations of 10,000 or more

. Source: U

. S

. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000

.

### 10 U.S. Census Bureau 

### 2010 were located in either western

or southern states—one was located
in the Midwest (Plainfield, IL)—and

all ten were located in metro areas
with 2010 Census populations of 1

million or more (metro area in
parentheses): Lincoln, CA,
(Sacramento); Surprise, AZ, and
Goodyear, AZ, (Phoenix); Frisco, TX,
and Wylie, TX, (Dallas-Fort Worth);

Beaumont, CA, (Riverside-San
Bernardino); Plainfield, IL, (Chicago);
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
(Louisville/Jefferson County);
Pflugerville, TX, (Austin); and Indian
Trail, NC, (Charlotte). Six of the
places more than tripled their
populations between 2000 and
2010: Lincoln (282.1 percent);
Surprise (281.0 percent); Frisco
(247.0 percent); Goodyear (245.2
percent); Beaumont (223.9 percent); and Plainfield (203.6 percent). The
next four places grew between 170
and 190 percent.



### METHODOLOGY AND

SOURCES OF DATA

This report used decennial census
data primarily for the years 1990,
2000, and 2010. The population
universe is the resident population
of the United States (50 states and
the District of Columbia) and Puerto

Rico. All derived values were com

puted using unrounded data. For
readability, most whole numbers in
the text are expressed in millions

or rounded to the nearest hundred
or thousand, and percentages are

rounded to tenths. In the tables,

whole numbers are unrounded and
percentages are rounded to the
nearest tenth. In the maps, data are categorized based on unrounded
percentages. In Figure 5 and the
tables, numeric and percentage
change for counties are only calcu

lated for the universe of counties

that existed in both Census 2000

and the 2010 Census.



### FOR MORE INFORMATION

Data for state and local areas from

the **2010 Census Redistricting Data**
**(Public Law 94-171) Summary File**

are available on the Internet at
<http://factfinder2.census
.gov/main.html> and on DVD. For
more information on confidentiality
protection, nonsampling error, and
definitions, see <www.census
.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94
-171.pdf>. For more information on
metropolitan and micropolitan sta

tistical areas, including concepts, 300.0 or more 200.0 to 299.9 100.0 to 199.9 50.0 to 99.9 10.0 to 49.9 Less than 10.0 Average number of people

U.S. density: 87.4

Note: Population density expressed as average number of people per square mile of land area. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. 

### Figure 7. 

### Population Density by County: 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see **www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)**U.S. Census Bureau 

### 11 definitions, reports, and maps, go

to <www.census.gov /population/www/metroareas
/metroarea.html>. For more infor

mation on historical census data,
go to <www.census.gov/population

/www/censusdata/hiscendata

.html>.

Information on other population
and housing topics is presented
in the 2010 Census Briefs series,

located on the U.S. Census Bureau’s
Web site at <www.census.gov
/prod/cen2010/>. This series
also presents information about

race, Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure,
and people who reside in group

quarters.

If you have questions or need
additional information, please call

the Customer Services Center at

1-800-923-8282. You can also visit

the Census Bureau’s Question and
Answer Center at <ask.census.gov>
to submit your questions online. Table 5. 

### Population Change for the Ten Most Populous and Ten Fastest-Growing Incorporated Places: 2000 to 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf )

Place Population Change

2000 2010 Number Percent

**MOST POPULOUS**  New York city, NY

� � � � � � � � � � � 8,008,278 8,175,133 166,855 2

. 1 Los Angeles city, CA

� � � � � � � � 3,694,820 3,792,621 97,801 2

. 6 Chicago city, IL

� � � � � � � � � � � � 2,896,016 2,695,598 –200,418 –6

. 9 Houston city, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � 1,953,631 2,099,451 145,820 7

. 5 Philadelphia city, PA

� � � � � � � � � 1,517,550 1,526,006 8,456 0

. 6 Phoenix city, AZ

� � � � � � � � � � � � 1,321,045 1,445,632 124,587 9

. 4 San Antonio city, TX

� � � � � � � � 1,144,646 1,327,407 182,761 16

. 0 San Diego city, CA

� � � � � � � � � � 1,223,400 1,307,402 84,002 6

. 9 Dallas city, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,188,580 1,197,816 9,236 0

. 8 San Jose city, CA

� � � � � � � � � � 894,943 945,942 50,999 5

. 7

**FASTEST-GROWING 1**  Lincoln city, CA

� � � � � � � � � � � � 11,205 42,819 31,614 282

. 1 Surprise city, AZ

� � � � � � � � � � � 30,848 117,517 86,669 281

. 0 Frisco city, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � 33,714 116,989 83,275 247

. 0 Goodyear city, AZ

� � � � � � � � � � 18,911 65,275 46,364 245

. 2 Beaumont city, CA

� � � � � � � � � � 11,384 36,877 25,493 223

. 9 Plainfield village, IL

� � � � � � � � � 13,038 39,581 26,543 203

. 6 Louisville/Jefferson County
metro go vernment, KY 2

� � � � � 256,231 741,096 484,865 189

. 2 Pflugerville city, TX

� � � � � � � � � 16,335 46,936 30,601 187

. 3 Indian Trail town, NC

� � � � � � � � 11,905 33,518 21,613 181

. 5 Wylie city, TX

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,132 41,427 26,295 173

. 8

1 Among incorporated places with Census 2000 populations of 10,000 or more

.

2 Louisville city and Jefferson County, Kentucky, formed a consolidated government after Census

2000

. The 2000 population for the incorporated place of Louisville city is before consolidation

.

Source: U

. S

. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Census 2000

.