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U.S. Adds 3.4 Million People Since Census 2000;
Almost One-Fifth of Growth in California
The nation has grown by 3.4 million people since April 1, 2000,
increasing from 281.4 million counted in Census 2000 to 284.8 million as
of July 1, 2001, according to estimates released today by the Commerce
Department's Census Bureau. These are the first population estimates
that use Census 2000 data as a benchmark.
"California grew by about 630,000 people since Census 2000, accounting
for almost one-fifth of the growth in the United States," said Census
Bureau demographer Melissa Therrien. "Population growth varied in other
states."
California remained the most populous state in the nation with 34.5
million people, which constitutes 12.1 percent of the total U.S.
population. The second and third most populous states -- Texas (21.3
million) and New York (19.0 million) -- together accounted for 14.2
percent of the country's population.
Nevada showed the fastest growth since Census 2000 (5.4 percent),
followed by Arizona (3.4 percent) and Colorado (2.7 percent). All three
states had much faster growth than the nation as a whole, which grew by
1.2 percent. Nevada has been the fastest growing state in the United
States for the past 15 years.
Between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2001, North Dakota and West Virginia
experienced the largest population declines, with North Dakota declining
by 1.2 percent to about 634,000, and West Virginia dropping by 0.4 percent
to about 1.8 million.
Other highlights:
- The 10 most populous states accounted for 54.2 percent of the nation's
population on July 1, 2001.
- Of the 10 most populous states, three are located in the Northeast,
three in the Midwest, three in the South and one in the West.
- While the South had the largest increase in people since Census 2000
(1.6 million), the rate of growth in the West remained the highest: 2.0
percent.
The estimates include demographic components of change for individual
states, i.e., natural increase (births minus deaths), net domestic
migration (in-migration from other states minus out-migration to other
states) and net international migration.
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