Census announces 2010 population counts

The anticipated 2010 Census results are finally beginning to be released.
The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Tuesday, December 21 that the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2010 was 308,745,538, according to the 2010 count. The country’s resident population increased by 9.7 percent compared to the 2000 population of 281,421,906.
The most populous state was California with 37,253,956 people and the least inhabited was Wyoming with 563,626.
“A big thanks to the American public for its overwhelming response to the 2010 Census,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “The result was a successful count that came in on time and well under budget, with a final 2010 Census savings of $1.87 billion.”
Even though census figures showed that New York State’s population grew by 2.19 percent to 19,421,055, New York will lose two of its 29 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives because of population shifts. Most of the state’s population increase is attributed to New York City and several of its suburbs, but it was not enough to keep pace with population growth in the South and the West, 14,318,924 and 8,747,621, respectively. The Northeast and the Midwest only grew by 1,722,862 and 2,534,225.
The upstate region, including Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, has the greatest population loss, making it likely that House seats will be eliminated there. New York already lost two seats after the 2000 census.
“The 2010 Census was a massive undertaking, and in reporting these first results, we renew our commitment to our great American democracy peacefully, fairly and openly for the 23rd time in our nation’s history,” said Rebecca Blank, now Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce, who has overseen the 2010 Census as Under Secretary for Economic Affairs.
Locke delivered the apportionment counts to President Barack Obama, 10 days before the statutory deadline of December 31. The U.S. Constitution provided that each state would have a minimum of one seat in the House. With the current House size being 435 seats, the apportionment calculation divides the remaining 385 seats among the 50 states.
The apportionment population consists of the resident population of the 50 states, plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them. The populations of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population, as they do not have voting seats in Congress.
“The decennial count has been the basis for our representative form of government since 1790,” Groves said. “At that time, each member of the House represented about 34,000 residents. Since then, the House has more than quadrupled in size, with each member now representing about 21 times as many constituents.”
President Obama will report the apportionment counts to the 112th Congress during the first week of its first regular session in January. New Congressional maps must be drawn in time for the 2012 elections. The reapportioned Congress will be the 113th, which convenes in January 2013.
Beginning in February and wrapping up by March 31, 2011, the Census Bureau will release demographic data to the states on a rolling basis so state governments can start the redistricting process.
For more information, visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s web site: www.2010.census.gov