2000 United States census facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Twenty-second census of the United States
U.S. Census Bureau seal
2000 U.S. census logo
General information
Country	United States
Date taken	April 1, 2000
Total population	281,421,906
Percent change	13.2%
Most populous state	California (33,871,648)
Least populous state	Wyoming (493,782)

The 2000 United States census was a big count of all the people living in the United States. The Census Bureau did this count on April 1, 2000. They found that 281,421,906 people lived in the U.S. This was a 13.2% increase from the 1990 census, which counted 248,709,873 people. This census was the 22nd time the U.S. government had done such a count. At the time, it was the biggest peaceful project ever done by the government.

About 16% of homes received a "long form" for the 2000 census. This form had more than 100 questions. You can find all the details about the 2000 census, including the forms, from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

This was the first time a state, California, had more than 30 million people. It was also the first time two states, California and Texas, had more than 20 million people.

Understanding Census Data

The census collects important information about people and homes. This data helps the government make decisions.

How Census Data Is Used

Information from the 2000 census is available for everyone to use. You can find detailed data about individuals (called microdata) through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. There is also information for smaller areas (called aggregate data) that you can download from the National Historical Geographic Information System. This data helps researchers and planners understand population changes.

When Personal Information Becomes Public

The personal details from the 2000 census will be kept private for a long time. They will only become available to the public in the year 2072. This rule helps protect people's privacy.

Population by State

The census shows how many people live in each state. It also shows how much the population changed since the last census.

A map showing the population change of each US State by percentage.

Rank	State	Population in 2000	Population in 1990	Change	Percent change
1	California	33,871,648	29,760,021	4,111,627	13.8%
2	Texas	20,851,820	16,986,510	3,865,510	22.8%
3	New York	18,976,457	17,990,455	986,002	5.5%
4	Florida	15,982,378	12,937,926	3,044,452	23.5%
5	Illinois	12,419,293	11,430,602	988,691	8.6%
6	Pennsylvania	12,281,054	11,881,643	399,411	3.4%
7	Ohio	11,353,140	10,847,115	506,025	4.7%
8	Michigan	9,938,444	9,295,297	643,147	6.9%
9	New Jersey	8,414,350	7,730,188	684,162	8.9%
10	Georgia	8,186,453	6,478,216	1,708,237	26.4%
11	North Carolina	8,049,313	6,628,637	1,420,676	21.4%
12	Virginia	7,078,515	6,187,358	891,157	14.4%
13	Massachusetts	6,349,097	6,016,425	332,672	5.5%
14	Indiana	6,080,485	5,544,159	536,326	9.7%
15	Washington	5,894,121	4,866,692	1,027,429	21.1%
16	Tennessee	5,689,283	4,877,185	812,098	16.7%
17	Missouri	5,595,211	5,117,073	478,138	9.3%
18	Wisconsin	5,363,675	4,891,769	471,906	9.6%
19	Maryland	5,296,486	4,781,468	515,018	10.8%
20	Arizona	5,130,632	3,665,228	1,465,404	40.0%
21	Minnesota	4,919,479	4,375,099	544,380	12.4%
22	Louisiana	4,468,976	4,219,973	249,003	5.9%
23	Alabama	4,447,100	4,040,587	406,513	10.1%
24	Colorado	4,301,261	3,294,394	1,006,867	30.6%
25	Kentucky	4,041,769	3,685,296	356,473	9.7%
26	South Carolina	4,012,012	3,486,703	525,309	15.1%
27	Oklahoma	3,450,654	3,145,585	305,069	9.7%
28	Oregon	3,421,399	2,842,321	579,078	20.4%
29	Connecticut	3,405,565	3,287,116	118,449	3.6%
30	Iowa	2,926,324	2,776,755	149,569	5.4%
31	Mississippi	2,844,658	2,573,216	271,442	10.5%
32	Kansas	2,688,418	2,477,574	210,844	8.5%
33	Arkansas	2,673,400	2,350,725	322,675	13.7%
34	Utah	2,233,169	1,722,850	510,319	29.6%
35	Nevada	1,998,257	1,201,833	796,424	66.3%
36	New Mexico	1,819,046	1,515,069	303,977	20.1%
37	West Virginia	1,808,344	1,793,477	14,867	0.8%
38	Nebraska	1,711,263	1,578,385	132,878	8.4%
39	Idaho	1,293,953	1,006,749	287,204	28.5%
40	Maine	1,274,923	1,227,928	46,995	3.8%
41	New Hampshire	1,235,786	1,109,252	126,534	11.4%
42	Hawaii	1,211,537	1,108,229	103,308	9.3%
43	Rhode Island	1,048,319	1,003,464	44,855	4.5%
44	Montana	902,195	799,065	103,130	12.9%
45	Delaware	783,600	666,168	117,432	17.6%
46	South Dakota	754,844	696,004	58,840	8.5%
47	North Dakota	642,200	638,800	3,400	0.5%
48	Alaska	626,932	550,043	76,889	14.0%
49	Vermont	608,827	562,758	46,069	8.2%
–	District of Columbia	572,059	606,900	-34,841	-5.7%
50	Wyoming	493,782	453,588	40,194	8.9%
	United States	281,421,906	248,709,873	32,712,033	13.2%

Top Cities by Population

The census also counted people in cities across the U.S. Here are the 100 largest cities in the year 2000.

Understanding the U.S. Population

The 2000 census collected many interesting facts about the people living in the U.S. This information helps us understand who makes up the country.

Key Facts About Americans

The U.S. population includes everyone in the 50 states and District of Columbia. The census also counted people in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which had 3,808,610 residents. This was an 8.1% increase for Puerto Rico since 1990.

Here are some interesting facts from the 2000 census:

• About 75% of people said they were White or Caucasian and no other race.
• Hispanic people made up 12.5% of the U.S. population. This was up from 9% in 1990.
• About 12.4% of Americans (34.5 million people) said they had German family roots.
• About 12.3% of people were Black or African American.
• About 3.6% of people were Asian.
• For the first time, people could choose more than one race. About 2.4% of people (6.8 million Americans) said they were multiracial (2 or more races).
• The number of people aged 45 to 54 grew by 49% between 1990 and 2000. Those aged 85 and older grew by 38%.
• Among people aged 85 and older, there were twice as many women as men.
• In 1997, almost one in five adults had some type of disability. The chance of having a disability increased with age.
• Most American homes were still families, but fewer than 30 years before.
• Since 1993, the average income for both families and non-families went up. Homes led by a woman without a spouse saw the fastest income growth.
• People in married-couple families had the lowest rates of poverty.
• People who were poor were more likely to not have health insurance.
• The number of elementary and high school students in 2000 was almost as high as the record of 49 million in 1970.
• People from all racial and ethnic groups showed improvements in getting an education.
• Most U.S. homes (51%) had computers. About 42% had Internet access.

Where People Moved: Population Shifts

The census showed that many people moved to the South and West of the U.S. These regions saw the biggest increases in population.

Population change by percentage in 2000.

Numeric population change in 2000.

Population Growth by Region

The South gained about 14.8 million people. The West gained about 10.4 million people. This means that the "center" of the U.S. population moved to Phelps County, Missouri. The Northeastern United States grew by about 2.8 million people. The Midwest grew by about 4.7 million people.

How the Census Affects Government

The results of the census are very important for how the U.S. government works.

How congressional seats were reapportioned after the 2000 census.

Changing Congressional Seats

The census helps decide how many congressional districts each state gets. This is called apportionment. The U.S. Congress sets the rules for this. There are 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives. Each seat represents a certain number of people.

The population used for this count includes people living in the 50 states. It also includes military members and federal workers living overseas with their families, if they can be linked to a state. People in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico are not included in this count. This is because they do not have voting representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives.

History of Representation

The census has been used to decide representation since the first count in 1790. The U.S. Constitution says there should not be more than one representative for every 30,000 people. It also says each state must have at least one representative. In 1790, each representative stood for about 34,000 people. The number of representatives grew a lot over time. In 1911, it was set at 435. Today, each representative stands for about 20 times more people than in 1790.

Images for kids

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  Population change by percentage in 2000.

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  Numeric population change in 2000.

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  How congressional seats were reapportioned after the 2000 census.

See also

In Spanish: Censo de los Estados Unidos de 2000 para niños