The Constitution mandates that the United State’s residents be counted every 10 years to determine the number of seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Census Bureau has begin releasing the results from the 2010 Census, and here are the first strokes in the “new portrait of America” it paints:
- On April 10, 2010, the official population of the United States was 308,745,538, which reflects a 9.7 percent increase between 2000 and 2010.
- California is the most populous state with 37,253,956 residents, and Wyoming was the least populous state with 563,626 residents.
- At 35.1 percent, Nevada had the highest percentage of growth of any state.
- As a result of the census, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington gained congressional seats. With four new seats, Texas added more than any other state.
- As a result of the census, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania lost congressional seats.