Tweet
21 December 2010
Last updated at 12:52 ET
The US population has risen by almost 10% in the last 10 years to stand at 308.7 million, according to new data from the US Census Bureau.
But the population figure marked the slowest growth in a decade since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The south and west of the country continued their population expansion.
The individual states' populations will be used to reapportion the number of representatives each state sends to the US Congress for the next 10 years.
The total population of the US grew to 308,745,538 in 2010, up from 281.4m a decade ago, Census director Robert Groves said at a news briefing announcing the 2010 results.
Roughly 60% of the increase was from individuals born inside the US, while 40% was the result of those immigrating to the country, Mr Groves said.
"In every Census since 1790, we have counted all persons who live in the country - we count residents, whether they are citizens or not," Mr Groves said.
The state with the largest population growth was Nevada at roughly 35%, while Michigan was the only state to see a decline.
Mr Groves said the slow growth during the Great Depression and the slow growth of the past decade could be attributed to each decade's economic dips.
It was "an assertion on the part of historians" that growth slowed in the 1930s because of the Great Depression, Groves said.
And "the case is pretty attractive to make that the depression hurt the growth rate", he added, referring to the most recent recession.
But Mr Groves pointed out that understanding the effect of the economy on population was a complex task and researchers might never be sure how heavily economic problems weighed on growth.
The US is still growing quickly in comparison to other developed nations, like France and England - whose populations increased by about 5% over the last decade.
Congressional changes The growth in population throughout the US fell largely on Republican-leaning states in the south, which will allow these regions to add seats in the House of Representatives in the next election.
Republican governors control six of the eight states that will add seats in 2012.
Texas was the big winner and will add four Congressional seats during the next election, while Florida will add two.
Louisiana was the only state in the Southern US to lose a seat - the result of a decline in population following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Many states in the Northeast and Midwest will lose seats in the next election, which will harm their chances of regaining control in Congress.
New York and Ohio will both lose two seats in 2012, while New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri will each lose one.
And for the first time in its history, Democratic-leaning California will not gain a House seat after a census.
President Barack Obama did not gain the backing of Texas in 2008 and lost in most of the other states that are gaining House seats.
The shift from North to South in the past decade will also bode well for Republicans during the next few years because state legislatures are in charge of drawing the congressional maps for much of the country.
House seat redistribution 2010
State 2000 2010 Change Source: US Census Bureau
Arizona
8
9
+1
Florida
25
27
+2
Georgia
13
14
+1
Illinois
19
18
-1
Iowa
5
4
-1
Louisiana
7
6
-1
Massachusetts
10
9
-1
Michigan
15
14
-1
Missouri
9
8
-1
Nevada
3
4
+1
New Jersey
13
12
-1
New York
29
27
-2
Ohio
18
16
-2
Pennsylvania
19
18
-1
South Carolina
6
7
+1
Texas
32
36
+4
Utah
3
4
+1
Washington
9
10
+1
Powered by WizardRSS | Work At Home Jobs
But the population figure marked the slowest growth in a decade since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The south and west of the country continued their population expansion.
The individual states' populations will be used to reapportion the number of representatives each state sends to the US Congress for the next 10 years.
The total population of the US grew to 308,745,538 in 2010, up from 281.4m a decade ago, Census director Robert Groves said at a news briefing announcing the 2010 results.
Roughly 60% of the increase was from individuals born inside the US, while 40% was the result of those immigrating to the country, Mr Groves said.
"In every Census since 1790, we have counted all persons who live in the country - we count residents, whether they are citizens or not," Mr Groves said.
The state with the largest population growth was Nevada at roughly 35%, while Michigan was the only state to see a decline.
Mr Groves said the slow growth during the Great Depression and the slow growth of the past decade could be attributed to each decade's economic dips.
It was "an assertion on the part of historians" that growth slowed in the 1930s because of the Great Depression, Groves said.
And "the case is pretty attractive to make that the depression hurt the growth rate", he added, referring to the most recent recession.
But Mr Groves pointed out that understanding the effect of the economy on population was a complex task and researchers might never be sure how heavily economic problems weighed on growth.
The US is still growing quickly in comparison to other developed nations, like France and England - whose populations increased by about 5% over the last decade.
Congressional changes The growth in population throughout the US fell largely on Republican-leaning states in the south, which will allow these regions to add seats in the House of Representatives in the next election.
Republican governors control six of the eight states that will add seats in 2012.
Texas was the big winner and will add four Congressional seats during the next election, while Florida will add two.
Louisiana was the only state in the Southern US to lose a seat - the result of a decline in population following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Many states in the Northeast and Midwest will lose seats in the next election, which will harm their chances of regaining control in Congress.
New York and Ohio will both lose two seats in 2012, while New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri will each lose one.
And for the first time in its history, Democratic-leaning California will not gain a House seat after a census.
President Barack Obama did not gain the backing of Texas in 2008 and lost in most of the other states that are gaining House seats.
The shift from North to South in the past decade will also bode well for Republicans during the next few years because state legislatures are in charge of drawing the congressional maps for much of the country.
House seat redistribution 2010
State 2000 2010 Change Source: US Census Bureau
Arizona
8
9
+1
Florida
25
27
+2
Georgia
13
14
+1
Illinois
19
18
-1
Iowa
5
4
-1
Louisiana
7
6
-1
Massachusetts
10
9
-1
Michigan
15
14
-1
Missouri
9
8
-1
Nevada
3
4
+1
New Jersey
13
12
-1
New York
29
27
-2
Ohio
18
16
-2
Pennsylvania
19
18
-1
South Carolina
6
7
+1
Texas
32
36
+4
Utah
3
4
+1
Washington
9
10
+1
Powered by WizardRSS | Work At Home Jobs