List of U.S. states and territories by population

Last updated

Resident population of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau Population by U.S. state.svg
Resident population of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau
Average annual population growth rate in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between 2020 and 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau Annual population growth rate by U.S. state.svg
Average annual population growth rate in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between 2020 and 2022 according to the U.S. Census Bureau

The states and territories included in the United States Census Bureau's statistics for the United States population, ethnicity, and most other categories include the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Separate statistics are maintained for the five permanently inhabited territories of the United States: Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. [1]

Contents

As of April 1, 2020, the date of the 2020 United States census, the nine most populous U.S. states contain slightly more than half of the total population. The 25 least populous states contain less than one-sixth of the total population. California, the most populous state, contains more people than the 21 least populous states combined, and Wyoming, the least populous state, has a population less than any of the 31 most populous U.S. cities.

Method

The United States Census counts the persons residing in the United States including citizens, non-citizen permanent residents and non-citizen long-term visitors. [2] Civilian and military federal employees serving abroad and their dependents are counted in their home state. [3]

Electoral apportionment

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau is charged with making an actual count of all residents by state and territory. The accuracy of this count is then tested after the fact, and sometimes statistically significant undercounts or overcounts occur. For example, for the 2020 decennial census, 14 states had significant miscounts ranging from 1.5% to 6.6%. While these adjustments may be reflected in government programs over the following decade, the 10-year representative apportionments discussed below are not changed to reflect the miscount. [4]

House of Representatives

Based on this decennial census, each state is allocated a portion of the 435 fixed seats in the United States House of Representatives (until the early 20th century, the apportionment process generally increased the size of the House based on the results of the census until the size of the House was capped by the Reapportionment Act of 1929), with each state guaranteed at least one Representative. The allocation is based on each state's proportion of the combined population of the fifty states (not including the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the United States Virgin Islands).

Electoral College

The Electoral College, every four years, elects the President and Vice President of the United States based on the popular vote in each state and the District of Columbia. Each state's number of votes in the Electoral College is equal to its number of members in the Senate plus members in the House of Representatives. [5]

The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution additionally grants the District of Columbia (D.C.), which is not part of any state, as many Electoral College votes as it would have if it were a state, while having no more votes than the least populous state (currently, Wyoming). Since the U.S. Constitution guarantees every state at least one member of the U.S. House of Representatives and two members of the U.S. Senate, every state has at least three Electoral College votes. Thus, the Electoral College has 538 members (100 senators, plus 435 representatives due to the limit imposed by the Reapportionment Act of 1929, plus 3 members for the District of Columbia). [5] Territories of the United States are not included in the Electoral College: people in those territories cannot vote directly for the President of the United States, [6] although they may participate in the partisan nominating primaries and caucuses. [7]

State and territory rankings

U.S. states and territories by population
State or territoryCensus population [8] [9] [a] Change,
2010–2020 [9] [a]
Pop.
per
elec. vote
(2020) [c]
Pop.
per
seat
(2020)
[a]
% US
(2020)
% EC
(2020)
July 1, 2024 (est.)April 1, 2020 %Abs.Seats %
Flag of California.svg  California 39,431,26339,538,2236.13%2,284,2675211.95%732,189760,35011.800%10.04%
Flag of Texas.svg  Texas 31,290,83129,145,50515.91%3,999,944388.74%728,638766,9878.698%7.43%
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida 23,372,21521,538,18714.56%2,736,877286.44%717,940769,2216.428%5.58%
Flag of New York.svg  New York 19,867,24820,201,2494.25%823,147265.98%721,473776,9716.029%5.20%
Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania 13,078,75113,002,7002.36%300,321173.91%684,353764,8653.881%3.53%
Flag of Illinois.svg  Illinois 12,710,15812,812,508−0.14%−18,124173.91%674,343753,6773.824%3.53%
Flag of Ohio.svg  Ohio 11,883,30411,799,4482.28%262,944153.45%694,085786,6303.521%3.16%
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg  Georgia 11,180,87810,711,90810.57%1,024,255143.22%669,494765,1363.197%2.97%
Flag of North Carolina.svg  North Carolina 11,046,02410,439,3889.48%903,905143.22%652,462745,6713.116%2.97%
Flag of Michigan.svg  Michigan 10,140,45910,077,3311.96%193,691132.99%671,822775,1793.008%2.79%
Flag of New Jersey.svg  New Jersey 9,500,8519,288,9945.65%497,100122.76%663,500774,0832.772%2.60%
Flag of Virginia.svg  Virginia 8,811,1958,631,3937.88%630,369112.53%663,953784,6722.576%2.42%
Flag of Washington.svg  Washington 7,958,1807,705,28114.58%980,741102.30%642,107770,5282.300%2.23%
Flag of Arizona.svg  Arizona 7,582,3847,151,50211.88%759,48592.07%650,137794,6112.134%2.04%
Flag of Tennessee.svg  Tennessee 7,227,7506,910,8408.90%564,73592.07%628,258767,8712.062%2.04%
Flag of Massachusetts.svg  Massachusetts 7,136,1717,029,9177.37%482,28892.07%639,083781,1022.098%2.04%
Flag of Indiana.svg  Indiana 6,924,2756,785,5284.65%301,72692.07%616,866753,9482.025%2.04%
Flag of Maryland.svg  Maryland 6,263,2206,177,2246.99%403,67281.84%617,722772,1531.844%1.86%
Flag of Missouri.svg  Missouri 6,245,4666,154,9132.77%165,98681.84%615,491769,3641.837%1.86%
Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin 5,960,9755,893,7183.64%206,73281.84%589,372736,7151.759%1.86%
Flag of Colorado.svg  Colorado 5,957,4935,773,71414.80%744,51881.84%577,371721,7141.723%1.86%
Flag of Minnesota.svg  Minnesota 5,793,1515,706,4947.59%402,56981.84%570,649713,3121.703%1.86%
Flag of South Carolina.svg  South Carolina 5,478,8315,118,42510.66%493,06171.61%568,714731,2041.528%1.67%
Flag of Alabama.svg  Alabama 5,157,6995,024,2795.12%244,54371.61%558,253717,7541.499%1.67%
Flag of Louisiana.svg  Louisiana 4,597,7404,657,7572.74%124,38561.38%582,220776,2931.390%1.49%
Flag of Kentucky.svg  Kentucky 4,588,3724,505,8363.84%166,46961.38%563,230750,9731.345%1.49%
Flag of Oregon.svg  Oregon 4,272,3714,237,25610.60%406,18261.38%529,657706,2091.265%1.49%
Flag of Oklahoma.svg  Oklahoma 4,095,3933,959,3535.54%208,00251.15%565,622791,8711.182%1.30%
Flag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut 3,675,0693,605,9440.89%31,84751.15%515,135721,1891.076%1.30%
Flag of Utah.svg  Utah 3,503,6133,271,61618.37%507,73140.92%545,269817,9040.976%1.12%
Flag of Nevada.svg  Nevada 3,267,4673,104,61414.96%404,06340.92%517,436776,1540.927%1.12%
Flag of Iowa.svg  Iowa 3,241,4883,190,3694.73%144,01440.92%531,728797,5920.952%1.12%
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico 3,203,2953,285,874−11.81%−439,9151*0.981%
Flag of Arkansas.svg  Arkansas 3,088,3543,011,5243.28%95,60640.92%501,921752,8810.899%1.12%
Flag of Kansas.svg  Kansas 2,970,6062,937,8802.97%84,76240.92%489,647734,4700.877%1.12%
Flag of Mississippi.svg  Mississippi 2,943,0452,961,279−0.20%−6,01840.92%493,547740,3200.884%1.12%
Flag of New Mexico.svg  New Mexico 2,130,2562,117,5222.83%58,34330.69%423,504705,8410.632%0.93%
Flag of Nebraska.svg  Nebraska 2,005,4651,961,5047.40%135,16330.69%392,301653,8350.585%0.93%
Flag of Idaho.svg  Idaho 2,001,6191,839,10617.32%271,52420.46%459,777919,5530.549%0.74%
Flag of West Virginia.svg  West Virginia 1,769,9791,793,716−3.20%−59,27820.46%448,429896,8580.535%0.74%
Flag of Hawaii.svg  Hawaii 1,446,1461,455,2716.98%94,97020.46%363,818727,6360.434%0.74%
Flag of New Hampshire.svg  New Hampshire 1,409,0321,377,5294.66%61,05920.46%344,382688,7650.411%0.74%
Flag of Maine.svg  Maine 1,405,0121,362,3592.56%33,99820.46%340,590681,1800.407%0.74%
Flag of Montana.svg  Montana 1,137,2331,084,2259.58%94,81020.46%271,056542,1130.324%0.74%
Flag of Rhode Island.svg  Rhode Island 1,112,3081,097,3794.26%44,81220.46%274,345548,6900.328%0.74%
Flag of Delaware.svg  Delaware 1,051,917989,94810.25%92,01410.23%329,983989,9480.295%0.56%
Flag of South Dakota.svg  South Dakota 924,669886,6678.90%72,48710.23%295,556886,6670.265%0.56%
Flag of North Dakota.svg  North Dakota 796,568779,09415.83%106,50310.23%259,698779,0940.233%0.56%
Flag of Alaska.svg  Alaska 740,133733,3913.26%23,16010.23%244,464733,3910.219%0.56%
Flag of Washington, D.C.svg  District of Columbia 702,250689,54514.60%87,8221*229,8480.206%0.56%
Flag of Vermont.svg  Vermont 648,493643,0772.77%17,33610.23%214,359643,0770.192%0.56%
Flag of Wyoming.svg  Wyoming 587,618576,8512.35%13,22510.23%192,284576,8510.172%0.56%
Flag of Guam.svg  Guam [11] 172,952153,836−3.47%−5,5221*0.046%
Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg  U.S. Virgin Islands [12] N/A87,146−18.10%−19,2591*0.026%
Flag of American Samoa.svg  American Samoa [13] N/A49,710−10.46%−5,8091*0.015%
Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg  Northern Mariana Islands [14] N/A47,329−12.16%−6,5541*0.014%
Contiguous United States 337,924,709329,260,6197.36%22,585,613432
(+1*)
99.31%623,600756,92198.265%98.70%
The 50 states339,408,738330,759,7367.34%22,615,921435100%618,242760,36798.713%99.44%
The 50 states and D.C.340,110,988331,449,2817.35%22,703,743435
(+1*)
100%616,07798.918%100%
Total US and territoriesN/A335,073,1767.10%22,226,684435
(+6*)
100%100%

*non-voting member of the House of Representatives.

  1. 1 2 3 Resident population only; does not include overseas population. In 2022, the Census Bureau announced the following undercounts (missed residents) in the 2020 census: Arkansas (−5.04%), Florida (−3.48%), Illinois (−1.97%), Mississippi (−4.11%), Tennessee (−4.78%) and Texas (−1.92%). These were the overcounts: Delaware (+5.45%), Hawaii (+6.79%), Massachusetts (+2.24%), Minnesota (+3.84%), New York (+3.44%), Ohio (+1.49%), Rhode Island (+5.05%) and Utah (+2.59%). [10]
  2. Effective from 2022 onward.
  3. Effective from the 2022 elections onward. Each state has a number of votes in the Electoral College equal to its number of senators (two) and representatives in the Congress, while D.C. is granted three electoral votes. The Electoral College is used to elect the President and Vice President of the United States.

Summary of population by region

Legend
Division totals – 9 divisions for 50 states and District of Columbia
Region totals – 4 regions (2 or 3 divisions each)
Individual territories
Total U.S. territories
50 states + District of Columbia
Divisions & regions as defined by U.S. Census Bureau
Last col. shows larger region which contains entity in col. 1

Column header abbreviations: # = Rank, Geo. = Geographic

Population of states, territories, divisions and region [15]
State/federal district/territory/
division/region
#2020 pop.#2010 pop.#2000 pop.#2010–
2020
change
Geo.
sort
Flag of Massachusetts.svg  Massachusetts 157,029,917146,547,629136,349,097217.4%NEng
Flag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut 293,605,944293,574,097293,405,565470.9%NEng
Flag of New Hampshire.svg  New Hampshire 411,377,529421,316,470411,235,786304.6%NEng
Flag of Maine.svg  Maine 421,362,359411,328,361401,274,923422.6%NEng
Flag of Rhode Island.svg  Rhode Island 431,097,379431,052,567431,048,319314.3%NEng
Flag of Vermont.svg  Vermont 49643,07749625,74149608,827402.8%NEng
        New England 915,116,205914,444,865913,922,51774.6%NEast
Flag of New York.svg  New York 420,201,249319,378,102318,976,457324.2%MAtl
Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania 513,002,700612,702,379612,281,054432.4%MAtl
Flag of New Jersey.svg  New Jersey 119,288,994118,791,89498,414,350255.7%MAtl
        Mid-Atlantic 442,492,943440,872,375439,671,86184.0%NEast
        Northeast 457,609,148455,317,240453,594,37834.1%USA
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida 321,538,187418,801,310415,982,378814.6%SAtl
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg  Georgia 810,711,90899,687,653108,186,4531210.6%SAtl
Flag of North Carolina.svg  North Carolina 910,439,388109,535,483118,049,313159.5%SAtl
Flag of Virginia.svg  Virginia 128,631,393128,001,024127,078,515187.9%SAtl
Flag of Maryland.svg  Maryland 186,177,224195,773,552195,296,486227.0%SAtl
Flag of South Carolina.svg  South Carolina 235,118,425244,625,364264,012,0121010.7%SAtl
Flag of West Virginia.svg  West Virginia 391,793,716371,852,994371,808,34450−3.2%SAtl
Flag of Delaware.svg  Delaware 45989,94845897,93445783,6001310.2%SAtl
Flag of Washington, D.C.svg  District of Columbia 689,545601,723572,05914.6%SAtl
        South Atlantic 166,089,734159,777,037151,769,160310.6%South
Flag of Tennessee.svg  Tennessee 166,910,840176,346,105165,689,283178.9%ESC
Flag of Alabama.svg  Alabama 245,024,279234,779,736234,447,100275.1%ESC
Flag of Kentucky.svg  Kentucky 264,505,836264,339,367254,041,769333.8%ESC
Flag of Mississippi.svg  Mississippi 342,961,279312,967,297312,844,65849−0.2%ESC
        East South Central 819,402,234818,432,505817,022,81065.3%South
Flag of Texas.svg  Texas 229,145,505225,145,561220,851,820315.9%WSC
Flag of Louisiana.svg  Louisiana 254,657,757254,533,372224,468,976412.7%WSC
Flag of Oklahoma.svg  Oklahoma 283,959,353283,751,351273,450,654265.5%WSC
Flag of Arkansas.svg  Arkansas 333,011,524322,915,918332,673,400353.3%WSC
        West South Central 540,774,139536,346,202531,444,850212.2%South
        South 1126,266,1071114,555,7441100,236,820110.2%USA
Flag of Illinois.svg  Illinois 612,812,508512,830,632512,419,29348−0.1%ENC
Flag of Ohio.svg  Ohio 711,799,448711,536,504711,353,140452.3%ENC
Flag of Michigan.svg  Michigan 1010,077,33189,883,64089,938,444462.0%ENC
Flag of Indiana.svg  Indiana 176,785,528156,483,802146,080,485294.7%ENC
Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin 205,893,718205,686,986185,363,675343.6%ENC
        East North Central 347,368,533346,421,564245,155,03792.0%MWest
Flag of Missouri.svg  Missouri 196,154,913185,988,927175,595,211392.8%WNC
Flag of Minnesota.svg  Minnesota 225,706,494215,303,925214,919,479197.6%WNC
Flag of Iowa.svg  Iowa 313,190,369303,046,355302,926,324284.7%WNC
Flag of Kansas.svg  Kansas 352,937,880332,853,118322,688,418373.0%WNC
Flag of Nebraska.svg  Nebraska 371,961,504381,826,341381,711,263207.4%WNC
Flag of South Dakota.svg  South Dakota 46886,66746814,18046754,844168.9%WNC
Flag of North Dakota.svg  North Dakota 47779,09448672,59147642,200415.8%WNC
        West North Central 721,616,921720,505,437619,237,73955.4%MWest
        Midwest 368,985,454366,927,001264,392,77643.1%USA
Flag of Arizona.svg  Arizona 147,151,502166,392,017205,130,632911.9%Mtn
Flag of Colorado.svg  Colorado 215,773,714225,029,196244,301,261614.8%Mtn
Flag of Utah.svg  Utah 303,271,616342,763,885342,233,169118.4%Mtn
Flag of Nevada.svg  Nevada 323,104,614352,700,551351,998,257515.0%Mtn
Flag of New Mexico.svg  New Mexico 362,117,522362,059,179361,819,046382.8%Mtn
Flag of Idaho.svg  Idaho 381,839,106391,567,582391,293,953217.3%Mtn
Flag of Montana.svg  Montana 441,084,22544989,41544902,195149.6%Mtn
Flag of Wyoming.svg  Wyoming 50576,85150563,62650493,782442.3%Mtn
        Mountain 624,919,150622,065,451718,172,295112.9%West
Flag of California.svg  California 139,538,223137,253,956133,871,648246.1%Pac
Flag of Washington.svg  Washington 137,705,281136,724,540155,894,121714.6%Pac
Flag of Oregon.svg  Oregon 274,237,256273,831,074283,421,3991110.6%Pac
Flag of Hawaii.svg  Hawaii 401,455,271401,360,301421,211,537237.0%Pac
Flag of Alaska.svg  Alaska 48733,39147710,23148626,932363.3%Pac
        Pacific 253,669,422249,880,102345,025,63747.6%West
        West 278,588,572271,945,553363,197,93229.2%USA
Flag of the United States.svg  50 states and District of Columbia 331,449,281308,745,538281,421,9067.4%NAmer
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico 13,285,87413,725,78913,808,6103−11.8%I.A.
Flag of Guam.svg  Guam 2153,8362159,3582154,8051−3.5%I.A.
Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg  U.S. Virgin Islands 387,1463106,4053108,6122−18.1%I.A.
Flag of American Samoa.svg  American Samoa 449,710455,519557,2914−7.7%I.A.
Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg  Northern Mariana Islands 547,329553,883469,2215−14.8%I.A.
Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard).svg U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 6 [note 1] 6 [note 2] 63166I.A.
        Island Areas (Territories) 3,623,8954,100,9544,198,855−11.6%USA
State/federal district/territory/
division/region
#2020 pop.#2010 pop.#2000 pop.#2010–
2020
change
Geo.
sort

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. Not enumerated in 2020.
  2. Not enumerated in 2010.

References

General
Specific
  1. Geographic Terms and Concepts - Island Areas of the United States, U.S. Census Bureau, archived from the original on December 10, 2016, retrieved March 19, 2019
  2. "FAQ: Does the Census Bureau collect data on the number of unauthorized migrants?". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "FAQ: Will 2010 Census apportionment population counts also include any Americans overseas". U. S Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Wang, Hansi Lo (May 19, 2022). "These 14 states had significant miscounts in the 2020 census". NPR. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Office of the Federal Register. "A Procedural Guide to the Electoral College". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  6. Shah, Dayna K.; Reich, Mary W. (November 1997). U.S. Insular Areas: Application of the U.S. Constitution (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO/OGC-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  7. Curry, Tom (May 28, 2008). "Nominating, but not voting for president". NBC News. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  8. "Annual and cumulative estimates of residential population change for the United States, regions, states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 2024" (PDF). Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  10. "U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2020 Undercount and Overcount Rates by State and the District of Columbia". Census.gov. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  11. "2020 Island Areas Censuses: Guam, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. "2020 Island Areas Censuses: U.S. Virgin Islands, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of the United States Virgin Islands: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  13. "2020 Island Areas Censuses: American Samoa, Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of American Samoa: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  14. "2020 Island Areas Censuses: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Population and Housing Unit Counts, Table 1. Population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2010 and 2020". October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  15. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2019.