Every 10 years, the U.S. Bureau of the Census counts the population so that Congressional seats can be reapportioned. As a bonus, we get a detailed look at the nation's population patterns. The decade between 1990 and 2000, as with most decades, produced changes that affect where and to whom we sell furniture.
The West was the nation's fastest growing region in the 1990s, adding 10.4 million people, an increase of 19.7%. By last year, the 13 Western states were home to 63.2 million people. The five states with the fastest growth rates in the nation — Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Idaho — are all located in the West. California had the largest increase in the absolute number of people, 4.1 million.
The South also grew at a fast pace, up 17.3% to 100.2 million people. Georgia was its fastest growing state, up 26.4%. Texas, which grew by 3.9 million, and Florida, up 3.0 million, showed the largest numeric increases.
The Midwest grew by 7.9%, adding 4.7 million people. Minnesota, up 12.4%, led the region's percentage growth for the third straight decade. Illinois, adding 988,691 people, and Michigan, adding 643,147, had the largest absolute increases. North Dakota, the state with the nation's smallest population growth, added less than 1% to its population.
Population in the Northeast increased by 2.8 million, or 5.5%. New Hampshire for the fourth straight decade had the region's fastest growth rate (up 11.4 %). New York, up by 986,002 people, and New Jersey, up by 648,162, gained the most population in the Northeast.
These differing growth rates mean that each region's share of the total population has also shifted. The South's share of the population went from 31% in 1950 to 36% in 2000; the West went from 13% to 22%. In the same period, the Midwest dropped from a 29% share of population to 23%, and the Northeast went from 26% to 19%.
Metro populations on rise
New York continued to be the most populous metropolitan area with a population of 21.2 million, followed by Los Angeles with 16.4 million.
In 2000, more than 80% of the nation's population of 226.0 million lived in metropolitan areas, and three in 10 were in metro areas of at least five million people. Metro areas with populations between two million and five million were home to another 14% of the population. Another 16% of Americans lived in metro areas with populations between 250,000 and a million, while 7% lived in metro areas with populations under 250,000.
The fastest population growth, 19.8%, was in metro areas with populations between 2 million and 5 million. The largest and smallest metro areas each grew by 11%.
Eight of the 10 largest cities in 2000 gained population in the 1990s. Only Philadelphia and Detroit declined in size. New York remained the nation's largest city, topping eight million.
| Population 2000 | % change 1990 to 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, Nev.-Ariz. | 1,563,282 | 83.3% |
| Naples, Fla. | 251,377 | 65.3 |
| Yuma, Ariz. | 160,026 | 49.7 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas | 569,463 | 48.5 |
| Austin-San Marcos, Texas | 1,249,763 | 47.7 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ariz. | 311,121 | 47.5 |
| Boise City, Idaho | 432,345 | 46.1 |
| Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz. | 3,251,876 | 45.3 |
| Laredo, Texas | 193,117 | 44.9 |
| Provo-Orem, Utah | 368,536 | 39.8 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 | ||
| Population 2000 | % change 1990 to 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,008,278 | 9.4% |
| Los Angeles | 3,694,820 | 6.0 |
| Chicago | 2,896,016 | 4.0 |
| Houston | 1,953,631 | 19.8 |
| Philadelphia | 1,517,550 | –4.3 |
| Phoenix | 1,321,045 | 34.3 |
| San Diego | 1,223,400 | 10.2 |
| Dallas | 1,188,580 | 18.0 |
| San Antonio, Texas | 1,144,646 | 22.3 |
| Detroit | 951,270 | –7.5 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 | ||
