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The Phoenix skyline is shown at sunset in this 2008 photo. The city's growth slowed dramatically during the past decade.
The Phoenix skyline is shown at sunset in this 2008 photo. The city's growth slowed dramatically during the past decade.
File photo by Matt Slocum, AP

Key dates

The 2010 count launched Jan. 25 in Noorvik, Alaska, but results of the nationwide effort won't be released until early spring 2011. Here's a breakdown of the process.

USA TODAY exclusives

An Alaskan will be first the American counted.
Black coalition pushes for 'unified' 2010 Census tally.
What you need to know about the 2010 Census.

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By Jose Luis Magana, AP
The District of Columbia's Hispanic and white populations grew more than 29%, putting black Washingtonians at 50%, Census figures show.
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    By Robert F. Bukaty, AP
    Census figures show Maine's north-south divide became more demographically acute in last decade.
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      By Denny Gainer, USA TODAY
      The region experienced a population boom between 2000 and 2010 as people from the Washington, D.C., metro area moved in, Census figures...
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        File photo by Frank Franklin II, AP
        Census data show New York City has a population of 8,175,133, though Mayor Bloomberg says residents of Brooklyn and Queens were...
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          Rhode Island Tourism Division
          Rhode Island's Hispanic population surged nearly 44% in the past decade, according to Census data out Wednesday.
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            By Bruce Smith, AP
            South Carolina's population swelled 15.3% in the past decade to rank among the nation's 10 fastest growing states, U.S. Census data show.
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            Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, enjoyed the fastest rise in income per person from 2000 to 2010.
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            2000 photo by Jon-Pierre Lasseigne, AP
            New Hampshire's growth has been fueled by minorities, but it is still among the whitest states in the U.S., according to Census data.
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              File photo by Lisa Poole, AP
              Boston and Massachusetts' other biggest cities gained over the past decade, but Census figures showed population shifting from other old...
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                By Paul Sancya, AP
                Detroit's decline helped make Michigan the only state to experience a net population loss since 2000 Census data show.