New U.S. Mean Center of Population Announced for 2010

Today the U.S. Census Bureau released the first two of a series of 2010 Census briefs that offer a closer look at race and population in the United States: Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010 and Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010.

Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010 analyzes the nation’s population change for the United States as a whole as well as its regions, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties and places. It shows that over the past decade, the U.S. population increased by 9.7 percent – a rate slower than recent decades – but surpassing the 300 million mark to reach 308.7 million people. The South and West accounted for 84.4 percent of the U.S. population increase from 2000 to 2010, enough for the population of the West to surpass that of the Midwest during the decade. Between 2000 and 2010, all 10 of the most populous metro areas grew, and almost two-thirds of the nation’s counties and nine of the 10 most populous cities gained population.

Looking at our nation’s changing racial and ethnic diversity, Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 shows that the Hispanic and Asian populations in the United States have experienced the fastest growth over the past decade. While the non-Hispanic white population is still numerically and proportionally the largest major race and ethnic group in the United States, it is growing at the slowest rate. The rise in the Hispanic population accounted for more than half of the 27.3 million increase in the total U.S. population. But more than any other race group, the Asian population grew the fastest, increasing by 43 percent.

The new mean center of population for the United States was also announced today; as of April 1, 2010, it is near Plato, Mo. The Census Bureau calculated this point as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all 308,745,538 residents counted in the 2010 Census were of identical weight. The center of population tells the story of America, following a trail across the country ─ across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri ─ that reflects our history of settling the frontier, manifest destiny, waves of immigration and regional migration.

The U.S. Census Bureau today released its 2010 Demographic Analysis estimates at a news conference at George Washington University – the first of three major Census Bureau releases in December. The data involve five series of national-level estimates of the population by age, sex, two race groups (black and non-black) and Hispanic origin (for under age 20). Demographic Analysis attempts to estimate the national population of 2010 but uses a very different technique than is used for the 2010 Census. Demographic Analysis estimates are developed from historical vital statistics and estimates of international migration. Separate from 2010 Census counts, these estimates provide one way of measuring the size of the U.S. population and will be used to analyze the 2010 Census results coming later this month.

On Dec. 14, the Census Bureau will also release American Community Survey (ACS) data for the 5-year period from 2005 to 2009. The ACS is a sample survey sent to 3 million households every year that provides vital social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics about our country. This is the first set of 5-year estimates for the ACS, which every year will produce more than 11 billion pieces of data covering some 670,000 geographical areas, including every county and community in the country.

Finally, by Dec. 31 as required by law, the Census Bureau will report the first set of data from the 2010 Census: the national and state populations as well as the apportionment of seats to each state in the U.S. House of Representatives. See today’s Demographic Analysis press release and the complete Demographic Analysis tables. Visit http://www.census.gov/ to learn more about upcoming Census releases.

Super Bowl XLIV will be played Feb. 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., a Miami suburb. To commemorate this occasion, the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts examining the demographics of the host city, as well as the cities represented by the contenders, in this year’s edition of our nation’s most celebrated sporting event. With the mail-out of 2010 Census and the questionnaires slightly more than a month away, the Census Bureau will run three ads promoting census awareness during the Super Bowl telecast—two during the pregame show and one during the third quarter. (Facts)

The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau opened a data processing center in Jeffersonville, Ind., which will process 58 million 2010 Census forms completed by households in 10 states. The new facility will be at the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center (NPC) and will employ approximately 1,350 people. Census officials were joined by Jeffersonville Mayor Thomas Galligan and other dignitaries at the opening of the data processing center. (More) (Census 2010)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke participated in the kick off of an historic national campaign at the National Press Club to urge the nearly 50 million U.S. Latinos to fully participate in the 2010 Census. Locke joined the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) and other partners at the launch of the ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! (It’s Time, Make Yourself Count!) campaign. “Bringing the right numbers to your communities means bringing economic empowerment. And you have not left the work to the Census Bureau alone,” Locke said. “You are leading the way and taking charge of your destiny. Yes. It is time.” (Remarks)