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, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 census. This was the twenty-second federal census and was at the time the largest civilly administered peacetime effort in the United States.

Approximately 16 percent of households received a "long form" of the 2000 census, which contained over 100 questions. Full documentation on the 2000 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

This was the first census in which a state—California—recorded a population of over 30 million, as well as the first in which two states—California and Texas—recorded populations of more than 20 million.

Data availability

Microdata from the 2000 census is freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. Personally identifiable information will be available in 2072.

State rankings

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

Rank	State	Population as of 2000 census	Population as of 1990 census	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%

City rankings

Top 100

Population profile

The U.S. resident population includes the total number of people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Bureau also enumerated the residents of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico; its population was 3,808,610, an 8.1% increase over the number from a decade earlier.

In an introduction to a more detailed population profile (see references below), the Census Bureau highlighted the following facts about U.S. population dynamics:

• 75% of respondents said they were White or Caucasian and no other race;
• Hispanics accounted for 12.5% of the U.S. population, up from 9% in 1990;
• 12.4% (34.5 million Americans) were of German descent;
• 12.3% were of Black or African American descent;
• 3.6% of respondents were Asian;
• 2.4% (6.8 million Americans) of respondents were multiracial (2 or more races). The 2000 census was the first time survey options for multiracial Americans were provided.
• Between 1990 and 2000, the population aged 45 to 54 grew by 49% and those aged 85 and older grew 38%;
• Women outnumbered men two to one among those aged 85 and older;
• Almost one in five adults had some type of disability in 1997 and the likelihood of having a disability increased with age;
• Families (as opposed to men or women living alone) still dominated American households, but less so than they did thirty years ago;
• Since 1993, both families and non-families have seen median household incomes rise, with "households headed by a woman without a spouse present" growing the fastest;
• People in married-couple families had the lowest poverty rates;
• The poor of any age were more likely than others to lack health insurance coverage;
• The number of elementary and high school students in 2000 fell just short of the all-time high of 49 million reached in 1970;
• Improvements in educational attainment cross racial and ethnic lines; and
• The majority (51%) of U.S. households had access to computers; 42% had Internet access.

Changes in population

Regionally, the South and West experienced the bulk of the nation's population increase: 14,790,890 and 10,411,850, respectively. This meant that the mean center of U.S. population moved to Phelps County, Missouri. The Northeastern United States grew by 2,785,149; the Midwest by 4,724,144.

(maps not to scale)

Reapportionment

The results of the census are used to determine how many congressional districts each state is apportioned. Congress defines the formula, in accordance with Title 2 of the U.S. Code, to reapportion among the states the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives. The apportionment population consists of the resident population of the fifty states, plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them who could be allocated to a state. Each member of the House represents a population of about 647,000. The populations of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population because they do not have voting seats in the U. S. House of Representatives.

Since the first census in 1790, the decennial count has been the basis for the United States representative form of government. Article I, Section II specifies that "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative." In 1790, each member of the House represented about 34,000 residents. Since then, the House more than quadrupled in size, and in 1911 the number of representatives was fixed at 435. Today, each member represents about 20 times as many constituents.

See also

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