2000 United States census
Twenty-second census of the United States | ||
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General information | ||
Country | United States | |
Results | ||
Total population | 281,421,906 ( 13.2%) | |
Most populous | California (33,871,648) | |
Least populous | Wyoming (493,782) |
The 2000 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 census.[1] This was the twenty-second federal census and was at the time the largest civilly administered peacetime effort in the United States.[2]
Approximately 16 percent of households received a "long form" of the 2000 census, which contained over 100 questions. Full documentation on the 2000 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the
This was the first census in which a state—California—recorded a population of over 30 million, as well as the first in which two states—California and Texas—recorded populations of more than 20 million.
Data availability
State rankings
Rank | State | Population as of 2000 census[4] |
Population as of 1990 census[4] |
Change | Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 33,871,648 | 29,760,021 | 4,111,627 | 13.8% |
2 | Texas | 20,851,820 | 16,986,510 | 3,865,510 | 22.8% |
3 | New York | 18,976,457 | 17,990,455 | 986,002 | 5.5% |
4 | Florida | 15,982,378 | 12,937,926 | 3,044,452 | 23.5% |
5 | Illinois | 12,419,293 | 11,430,602 | 988,691 | 8.6% |
6 | Pennsylvania | 12,281,054 | 11,881,643 | 399,411 | 3.4% |
7 | Ohio | 11,353,140 | 10,847,115 | 506,025 | 4.7% |
8 | Michigan | 9,938,444 | 9,295,297 | 643,147 | 6.9% |
9 | New Jersey | 8,414,350 | 7,730,188 | 684,162 | 8.9% |
10 | Georgia | 8,186,453 | 6,478,216 | 1,708,237 | 26.4% |
11 | North Carolina | 8,049,313 | 6,628,637 | 1,420,676 | 21.4% |
12 | Virginia | 7,078,515 | 6,187,358 | 891,157 | 14.4% |
13 | Massachusetts | 6,349,097 | 6,016,425 | 332,672 | 5.5% |
14 | Indiana | 6,080,485 | 5,544,159 | 536,326 | 9.7% |
15 | Washington | 5,894,121 | 4,866,692 | 1,027,429 | 21.1% |
16 | Tennessee | 5,689,283 | 4,877,185 | 812,098 | 16.7% |
17 | Missouri | 5,595,211 | 5,117,073 | 478,138 | 9.3% |
18 | Wisconsin | 5,363,675 | 4,891,769 | 471,906 | 9.6% |
19 | Maryland | 5,296,486 | 4,781,468 | 515,018 | 10.8% |
20 | Arizona | 5,130,632 | 3,665,228 | 1,465,404 | 40.0% |
21 | Minnesota | 4,919,479 | 4,375,099 | 544,380 | 12.4% |
22 | Louisiana | 4,468,976 | 4,219,973 | 249,003 | 5.9% |
23 | Alabama | 4,447,100 | 4,040,587 | 406,513 | 10.1% |
24 | Colorado | 4,301,261 | 3,294,394 | 1,006,867 | 30.6% |
25 | Kentucky | 4,041,769 | 3,685,296 | 356,473 | 9.7% |
26 | South Carolina | 4,012,012 | 3,486,703 | 525,309 | 15.1% |
27 | Oklahoma | 3,450,654 | 3,145,585 | 305,069 | 9.7% |
28 | Oregon | 3,421,399 | 2,842,321 | 579,078 | 20.4% |
29 | Connecticut | 3,405,565 | 3,287,116 | 118,449 | 3.6% |
30 | Iowa | 2,926,324 | 2,776,755 | 149,569 | 5.4% |
31 | Mississippi | 2,844,658 | 2,573,216 | 271,442 | 10.5% |
32 | Kansas | 2,688,418 | 2,477,574 | 210,844 | 8.5% |
33 | Arkansas | 2,673,400 | 2,350,725 | 322,675 | 13.7% |
34 | Utah | 2,233,169 | 1,722,850 | 510,319 | 29.6% |
35 | Nevada | 1,998,257 | 1,201,833 | 796,424 | 66.3% |
36 | New Mexico | 1,819,046 | 1,515,069 | 303,977 | 20.1% |
37 | West Virginia | 1,808,344 | 1,793,477 | 14,867 | 0.8% |
38 | Nebraska | 1,711,263 | 1,578,385 | 132,878 | 8.4% |
39 | Idaho | 1,293,953 | 1,006,749 | 287,204 | 28.5% |
40 | Maine | 1,274,923 | 1,227,928 | 46,995 | 3.8% |
41 | New Hampshire | 1,235,786 | 1,109,252 | 126,534 | 11.4% |
42 | Hawaii | 1,211,537 | 1,108,229 | 103,308 | 9.3% |
43 | Rhode Island | 1,048,319 | 1,003,464 | 44,855 | 4.5% |
44 | Montana | 902,195 | 799,065 | 103,130 | 12.9% |
45 | Delaware | 783,600 | 666,168 | 117,432 | 17.6% |
46 | South Dakota | 754,844 | 696,004 | 58,840 | 8.5% |
47 | North Dakota | 642,200 | 638,800 | 3,400 | 0.5% |
48 | Alaska | 626,932 | 550,043 | 76,889 | 14.0% |
49 | Vermont | 608,827 | 562,758 | 46,069 | 8.2% |
– | District of Columbia | 572,059 | 606,900 | -34,841 | -5.7% |
50 | Wyoming | 493,782 | 453,588 | 40,194 | 8.9% |
United States | 281,421,906 | 248,709,873 | 32,712,033 | 13.2% |
City rankings
Top 100
Rank | City | State | Population[5] | Region |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York | NY | 8,008,278 | Northeast
|
2 | Los Angeles | CA | 3,694,820 | West |
3 | Chicago | IL | 2,896,016 | Midwest |
4 | Houston | TX | 1,953,631 | South |
5 | Philadelphia | PA | 1,517,550 | Northeast
|
6 | Phoenix | AZ | 1,321,045 | West |
7 | San Diego | CA | 1,223,400 | West |
8 | Dallas | TX | 1,188,580 | South |
9 | San Antonio | TX | 1,144,646 | South |
10 | Detroit | MI | 951,270 | Midwest |
11 | San Jose | CA | 894,943 | West |
12 | Indianapolis | IN | 791,926 | Midwest |
13 | San Francisco | CA | 776,733 | West |
14 | Jacksonville | FL | 735,617 | South |
15 | Columbus | OH | 711,470 | Midwest |
16 | Austin | TX | 656,562 | South |
17 | Baltimore | MD | 651,154 | South |
18 | Memphis | TN | 650,100 | South |
19 | Milwaukee | WI | 596,974 | Midwest |
20 | Boston | MA | 589,141 | Northeast
|
21 | Washington | DC | 572,059 | South |
22 | Nashville-Davidson | TN | 569,891 | South |
23 | El Paso | TX | 563,662 | South |
24 | Seattle | WA | 563,374 | West |
25 | Denver | CO | 554,636 | West |
26 | Charlotte | NC | 540,828 | South |
27 | Fort Worth | TX | 534,694 | South |
28 | Portland | OR | 529,121 | West |
29 | Oklahoma City | OK | 506,132 | South |
30 | Tucson | AZ | 486,699 | West |
31 | New Orleans | LA | 484,674 | South |
32 | Las Vegas | NV | 478,434 | West |
33 | Cleveland | OH | 478,403 | Midwest |
34 | Long Beach | CA | 461,522 | West |
35 | Albuquerque | NM | 448,607 | West |
36 | Kansas City | MO | 441,545 | Midwest |
37 | Fresno | CA | 427,652 | West |
38 | Virginia Beach | VA | 425,257 | South |
39 | San Juan | PR | 421,958 | |
40 | Atlanta | GA | 416,474 | South |
41 | Sacramento | CA | 407,018 | West |
42 | Oakland | CA | 399,484 | West |
43 | Mesa | AZ | 396,375 | West |
44 | Tulsa | OK | 393,049 | South |
45 | Omaha | NE | 390,007 | Midwest |
46 | Minneapolis | MN | 382,618 | Midwest |
47 | Honolulu | HI | 371,657 | West |
48 | Miami | FL | 362,470 | South |
49 | Colorado Springs | CO | 360,890 | West |
50 | St. Louis | MO | 348,189 | Midwest |
51 | Wichita | KS | 344,284 | Midwest |
52 | Santa Ana | CA | 337,977 | West |
53 | Pittsburgh | PA | 334,563 | Northeast
|
54 | Arlington | TX | 332,969 | South |
55 | Cincinnati | OH | 331,285 | Midwest |
56 | Anaheim | CA | 328,014 | West |
57 | Toledo | OH | 313,619 | Midwest |
58 | Tampa | FL | 303,447 | South |
59 | Buffalo | NY | 292,648 | Northeast
|
60 | St. Paul | MN | 287,151 | Midwest |
61 | Corpus Christi | TX | 277,454 | South |
62 | Aurora | CO | 276,393 | West |
63 | Raleigh | NC | 276,093 | South |
64 | Newark | NJ | 273,546 | Northeast
|
65 | Lexington-Fayette | KY | 260,512 | South |
66 | Anchorage | AK | 260,283 | West |
67 | Louisville | KY | 256,231 | South |
68 | Riverside | CA | 255,166 | West |
69 | St. Petersburg | FL | 248,232 | South |
70 | Bakersfield | CA | 247,057 | West |
71 | Stockton | CA | 243,771 | West |
72 | Birmingham | AL | 242,820 | South |
73 | Jersey City | NJ | 240,055 | Northeast
|
74 | Norfolk | VA | 234,403 | South |
75 | Baton Rouge | LA | 227,818 | South |
76 | Hialeah | FL | 226,419 | South |
77 | Lincoln | NE | 225,581 | Midwest |
78 | Greensboro | NC | 223,891 | South |
79 | Plano | TX | 222,030 | South |
80 | Rochester | NY | 219,773 | Northeast
|
81 | Glendale | AZ | 218,812 | West |
82 | Akron | OH | 217,074 | Midwest |
83 | Garland | TX | 215,768 | South |
84 | Madison | WI | 208,054 | Midwest |
85 | Fort Wayne | IN | 205,727 | Midwest |
86 | Bayamon | PR | 203,499 | |
87 | Fremont | CA | 203,413 | West |
88 | Scottsdale | AZ | 202,705 | West |
89 | Montgomery | AL | 201,568 | South |
90 | Shreveport | LA | 200,145 | South |
91 | Augusta-Richmond County | GA | 199,775 | South |
92 | Lubbock | TX | 199,564 | South |
93 | Chesapeake | VA | 199,184 | South |
94 | Mobile | AL | 198,915 | South |
95 | Des Moines | IA | 198,682 | Midwest |
96 | Grand Rapids | MI | 197,800 | Midwest |
97 | Richmond | VA | 197,790 | South |
98 | Yonkers | NY | 196,086 | Northeast
|
99 | Spokane | WA | 195,629 | West |
100 | Glendale | CA | 194,973 | West |
Locations of 50 most populous cities
Population profile
The U.S. resident population includes the total number of people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Bureau also enumerated the residents of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico; its population was 3,808,610, an 8.1% increase over the number from a decade earlier.
In an introduction to a more detailed population profile (see references below), the Census Bureau highlighted the following facts about U.S. population dynamics:
- 75% of respondents said they were White or Caucasianand no other race;
- Hispanicsaccounted for 12.5% of the U.S. population, up from 9% in 1990;
- 12.4% (34.5 million Americans) were of German descent;
- 12.3% were of Black or African Americandescent;
- 3.6% of respondents were Asian;
- 2.4% (6.8 million Americans)multiracial(2 or more races). The 2000 census was the first time survey options for multiracial Americans were provided.
- Between 1990 and 2000, the population aged 45 to 54 grew by 49% and those aged 85 and older grew 38%;
- Women outnumbered men two to one among those aged 85 and older;
- Almost one in five adults had some type of disabilityin 1997 and the likelihood of having a disability increased with age;
- Families (as opposed to men or women living alone) still dominated American households, but less so than they did thirty years ago;
- Since 1993, both families and non-families have seen median household incomes rise, with "households headed by a woman without a spouse present" growing the fastest;
- People in married-couple families had the lowest poverty rates;
- The poor of any age were more likely than others to lack health insurance coverage;
- The number of elementary and high school students in 2000 fell just short of the all-time high of 49 million reached in 1970;
- Improvements in educational attainment cross racial and ethnic lines; and
- The majority (51%) of U.S. households had access to computers; 42% had Internet access.[7]
Changes in population
Regionally, the
(maps not to scale)
Reapportionment
The results of the census are used to determine how many congressional districts each state is apportioned. Congress defines the formula, in accordance with Title 2 of the U.S. Code, to reapportion among the states the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives. The apportionment population consists of the resident population of the fifty states, plus the overseas military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them who could be allocated to a state. Each member of the House represents a population of about 647,000. The populations of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are excluded from the apportionment population because they do not have voting seats in the U. S. House of Representatives.
Since
Adjustment controversy
In the years leading up to the 2000 census, there was substantial controversy over whether the Bureau should adjust census figures based on a follow-up survey, called the post-enumeration survey, of a sample of blocks. (In 1999, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the Constitution prohibits the use of such figures for apportionment purposes, but it may be permissible for other purposes where feasible.) The controversy was partly technical, but also partly political, since based on data from the 1990 census both parties believed that adjustment would likely have the effect, after redistricting, of slightly increasing Democratic representation in legislative bodies, but would also give Utah an additional, probably Republican, representative to Congress.[8][9]
Following the census, discrepancies between the adjusted census figures and demographic estimates of population change could not be resolved in time to meet legal deadlines for the provision of redistricting data, and the Census Bureau therefore recommended that the unadjusted results be used for this purpose.[10] This recommendation was followed by the Secretary of Commerce (the official in charge of making the determination).
Utah controversy
After the census was tabulated,
The state of Utah then filed another lawsuit alleging that the statistical methods used in computing the state populations were improper and cost Utah the seat. The Bureau uses a method called imputation to assign a number of residents to addresses where residents cannot be reached after multiple efforts. While nationwide the imputation method added 0.4% to the population, the rate in Utah was 0.2%. The state challenged that the use of imputation violates the Census Act of 1957 and that it also fails the Constitution's requirement in Article I, Section 2 that an "actual enumeration" be used for apportionment.[13] This case, Utah v. Evans, made it to the Supreme Court, but Utah was again defeated.[14]
Gay and lesbian controversy
The census forms did not include any questions regarding sexual orientation, making it impossible to compile data comparing heterosexual and homosexual populations. However, two questions were asked that allowed same-sex partnerships to be counted. The questionnaires asked the sex of each person in a household and they asked what the relationship was between each of the members of the household. Respondents could check "Husband/wife" or "unmarried partner" or a number of other relationships.[15][16] Responses were tabulated and the Census Bureau reported that there were more than 658,000 same-sex couples heading households in the United States. However, only about 25% of gay men and 40% of lesbians are in shared-household partnerships at any one time, according to non-census surveys.[17] For every same-sex couple tallied in the census, there could be three to six more homosexual un-partnered individuals who would not be counted as gay. The census reported that same-sex male couples numbered 336,001 and female same-sex couples numbered 329,522.[18] Extrapolating from those figures and the surveyed partnering habits of homosexuals, as many as 4.3 million homosexual adults could have been living in the U.S. in 2000. The exact number cannot be known because the census did not count them specifically. Bisexual and transgender populations were not counted, either, because there were no questions regarding this information. Also unavailable is the number of additional same-sex couples living under the same roof as the first, though this applies to additional heterosexual couples as well. The lack of accurate numbers makes it difficult for lawmakers who are considering legislation on hate crimes or social services for gay families with children.[19] It also makes for less accuracy when predicting the fertility of a population.[20]
Another issue that concerned gay rights advocates involved the automatic changing of data during the tabulation process. This automatic software data compiling method, called allocation, was designed to counteract mistakes and discrepancies in returned questionnaires. Forms that were filled out by two same-sex persons who checked the "Husband/wife" relationship box were treated as a discrepancy. The Census Bureau explained that same-sex "Husband/wife" data samples were changed to "unmarried partner" by computer processing methods in 99% of the cases. In the remaining 1%, computer systems used one of two possibilities: a) one of the two listed sexes was changed, making the partnership appear heterosexual, or b) if the two partners were more than 15 years apart in age, they might have been reassigned into a familial parent/child relationship.[21] The process of automatic reassignment of same-sex marriage data was initiated so that the Census Bureau would not contravene the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996. The Act states:
In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.[21]
With allocation moving married same-sex couples to the unmarried partner category, social scientists lost information that could have been extracted relating to the social stability of a same-gender couple who identify themselves as married.[20]
References
- ^ "Population and Area (Historical Censuses)" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
- ^ "Introduction to Census 2000 Data Products" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. June 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ "The "72-Year Rule" – History". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ a b "Resident Population of the 50 States, and the District of Columbia April 1, 2000 (Census 2000) and April 1, 1990 (1990 Census)". United States Census Bureau. December 28, 2000. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Ranking Tables for Incorporated Places of 100,000 or More", Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, archived from the original on December 10, 2019, retrieved April 11, 2017
- ^ Jayson, Sharon. "'Colorblind' Generation Doesn't Blink at interracial Relationships". USA Today. February 7, 2006: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. October 25, 2010.
- ^ Newburger, Eric (September 2001). "Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000" (PDF). Current Population Reports. U.S. Census Bureau: 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- JSTOR 420917.
- ^ [1] Archived January 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Census 2000 ESCAP". Census.gov. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ "Census Blooper Costly for Utah; Error May Have Resulted in Loss of House Seat". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 1, 2003. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ Greenhouse, Linda. "Justices Deal Utah a Setback In Its Bid to Gain a House Seat" Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, November 27, 2001. Accessed July 16, 2008.
- ^ Greenhouse, Linda. "Supreme Court Roundup; Justices to Hear Utah's Challenge to Procedure in 2000 Census" Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, January 23, 2002. Accessed July 16, 2008.
- ^ Greenhouse, Linda. "The Supreme Court: Right to Privacy; Supreme Court Finds Law On Educational Privacy Isn't Meant for Individuals" Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, June 21, 2002. Accessed July 16, 2008.
- ^ "Census 2000 Long Form Questionnaire" (PDF). Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ "Census 2000 Short Form Questionnaire" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ "Gay and Lesbian Demographics". Urban.org. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ "US Census unmarried couple data listed by state". Gaydemographics.org. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ Ly, Phuong (March 12, 2000). "The Washington Post, March 12, 2000. Be Counted In Census, Groups Urge Gay Live-Ins". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ a b "Unbinding the Ties: Edit Effects of Marital Status on Same Gender Couples". Census.gov. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ^ a b "Technical Note on Same-Sex Unmarried Partner Data From the 1990 and 2000 Censuses". Census.gov. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
Sources
- Constitution Article I Section II re Enumeration and Apportionment Archived February 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- S2CID 145745786..
External links
United States Census Bureau
- Census 2000 gateway
- Population Profile of the United States: 2000
- Population Profile Introductory slide show, in MS Powerpoint format
- State and County QuickFacts, the most requested information
- American FactFinder, for population, housing, economic, and geographic data
- 2000 United States Census Form
- 2001 U.S Census Report[permanent dead link] Contains 2000 census results
Other 2000 census websites
- MLA Language Map from the Modern Language Association
- How the Census Works via Howstuffworks.com