EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EDT, MAY 9, 2002 (THURSDAY)
Mike Bergman CB02-62 Public Information Office (301) 457-3030/457-3760 (fax) (301) 457-1037 (TDD) Quotes & radio sound bites e-mail: pio@census.gov Ranked tables Census Bureau Publication Lists Facts About Nation's Counties and Cities Maricopa County, Ariz., added more people than any other county during the past decade; the population of Douglas County, Colo., grew the fastest; and Anchorage's land area is more than twice as large as the second most expansive city, Jacksonville, Fla. These are just a few of the facts from the County and City Data Book: 2000, released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. "The latest edition of the county and city data book, which has been published intermittently since 1944, is full of useful information on people, businesses, taxes, federal government spending and health for all of the nation's counties," said Wanda Cevis, statistician and technical coordinator of the publication. "It also contains figures from retail sales to average annual temperatures and precipitation for the country's largest cities." In addition to data from Census 2000, the book incorporates information from Census Bureau economic surveys, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI and private nonprofit organizations such as the American Hospital Association. Some highlights: For counties - Maricopa County reported the most building permits (43,056) of any county in the nation for new private housing units in 2000. Alcona County, Mich., (89.9 percent), had the highest percentage of owner-occupied housing units that year. - More than one-third of the people in Charlotte County, Fla., were age 65 or older in 2000, the highest percentage in the nation; the lowest, 1.8 percent, was in Chattahoochee County, Ga. - Wade Hampton census area, Alaska, had the nation's highest percentage of persons under age 18 in 2000, 46.6 percent. Kalawao County, Hawaii, had the lowest, 2.0 percent. For cities with 100,000 or more people - Gilbert, Ariz., grew faster than any other city between 1990 and 2000 at 266 percent, while St. Louis lost 12 percent, the most of any large city. - New York City, with more than 26,000 people per square mile, was the most crowded city in 2000. Anchorage residents had considerably more elbow room, with 153 people per square mile, the fewest of any large city. - Three cities in California had the highest unemployment rate in 2000: Fresno, Salinas and Stockton all were above 10 percent. Two cities in Michigan had the lowest: Ann Arbor and Livonia, with slightly more than 1 percent. - More than 4-in-10 people in Washington, D.C., lived alone in 2000, the highest ratio of any city, followed closely by nearby Alexandria, Va. Three cities in California had the lowest ratio of one-person households: the ratio in Moreno Valley, El Monte and Fontana was 1-in-10. - More than 75 percent of housing units in Newark, N.J., were occupied by renters in 2000, the highest proportion in the nation. Livonia, Mich., had the lowest rate at 11 percent. The book is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office (stock number 003-024-08862-2; $68) by calling (202) 512-1800 in Washington, D.C., or 1-866-512-1800. It is available also from the National Technical Information Service (stock number PB2002-101674; $65) by calling (703) 605-6000 in the Washington, D.C., area or 1-800-553-6847. A CD-ROM version of the book will be available later this year.