Projections are estimates of the population for future dates.
They illustrate plausible courses of future population change based on assumptions about future births, deaths, international migration, and domestic migration. Projected numbers are based on an estimated population consistent with the most recent decennial census as enumerated, projected forward using a variant of the cohort-component method. Population projections are produced by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and are released by the Census Bureau every two years. While projections and estimates may appear similar, there are some distinct differences between the two measures. Estimates are for the past, while projections are based on assumptions about future demographic trends.