California was the state with the highest resident population in the United States in 2024, with 39.43 million people. Wyoming had the lowest population with about 590,000 residents. Living the American Dream Ever since the opening of the West in the United States, California has represented the American Dream for both Americans and immigrants to the U.S. The warm weather, appeal of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, as well as cities that stick in the imagination such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, help to encourage people to move to California. Californian demographics California is an extremely diverse state, as no one ethnicity is in the majority. Additionally, it has the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the United States. By 2040, the population of California is expected to increase by almost 10 million residents, which goes to show that its appeal, both in reality and the imagination, is going nowhere fast.

In 2023, Washington, D.C. had the highest population density in the United States, with 11,130.69 people per square mile. As a whole, there were about 94.83 residents per square mile in the U.S., and Alaska was the state with the lowest population density, with 1.29 residents per square mile. The problem of population density Simply put, population density is the population of a country divided by the area of the country. While this can be an interesting measure of how many people live in a country and how large the country is, it does not account for the degree of urbanization, or the share of people who live in urban centers. For example, Russia is the largest country in the world and has a comparatively low population, so its population density is very low. However, much of the country is uninhabited, so cities in Russia are much more densely populated than the rest of the country. Urbanization in the United States While the United States is not very densely populated compared to other countries, its population density has increased significantly over the past few decades. The degree of urbanization has also increased, and well over half of the population lives in urban centers.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the United States population over the last 20 plus years. It lists the population for each year, along with the year on year change in population, as well as the change in percentage terms for each year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population change of United States across the last two decades. For example, using this dataset, we can identify if the population is declining or increasing. If there is a change, when the population peaked, or if it is still growing and has not reached its peak. We can also compare the trend with the overall trend of United States population over the same period of time.

Key observations

In 2024, the population of United States was 340.11 million, a 0.98% increase year-by-year from 2023. Previously, in 2023, United States population was 336.81 million, an increase of 0.83% compared to a population of 334.02 million in 2022. Over the last 20 plus years, between 2000 and 2024, population of United States increased by 57.95 million. In this period, the peak population was 340.11 million in the year 2024. The numbers suggest that the population has not reached its peak yet and is showing a trend of further growth. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Data Coverage:

• From 2000 to 2024

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column displays the data year (Measured annually and for years 2000 to 2024)
• Population: The population for the specific year for the United States is shown in this column.
• Year on Year Change: This column displays the change in United States population for each year compared to the previous year.
• Change in Percent: This column displays the year on year change as a percentage. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for United States Population by Year. You can refer the same here

The U.S. landscape has undergone substantial changes since Europeans first arrived. Many land use changes are attributable to human activity. Historical data concerning these changes are frequently limited and often difficult to develop. Modeling historical land use changes may be necessary. We develop annual population series from first European settlement to 1999 for all 50 states and Washington D.C. for use in modeling land use trends. Extensive research went into developing the historical data. Linear interpolation was used to complete the series after critically evaluating the appropriateness of linear interpolation versus exponential interpolation.

United States Population: Vermont data was reported at 623,657.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 623,354.000 Person for 2016. United States Population: Vermont data is updated yearly, averaging 621,404.500 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 626,210.000 Person in 2011 and a record low of 609,903.000 Person in 2000. United States Population: Vermont data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G003: Population By State.

The total population in the United States was estimated at 341.2 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - United States Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Annual Population Estimates, Estimated Components of Resident Population Change, and Rates of the Components of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, and Puerto Rico // Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division // Note: Total population change includes a residual. This residual represents the change in population that cannot be attributed to any specific demographic component. See Population Estimates Terms and Definitions at http://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms.html. // Net international migration (except for Puerto Rico) includes the international migration of both native and foreign-born populations. Specifically, it includes: (a) the net international migration of the foreign born, (b) the net migration between the United States and Puerto Rico, (c) the net migration of natives to and from the United States, and (d) the net movement of the Armed Forces population between the United States and overseas. Net international migration for Puerto Rico includes the migration of native and foreign-born populations between the United States and Puerto Rico. // The estimates are based on the 2010 Census and reflect changes to the April 1, 2010 population due to the Count Question Resolution program and geographic program revisions. See Geographic Terms and Definitions at http://www.census.gov/popest/about/geo/terms.html for a list of the states that are included in each region and division. // For detailed information about the methods used to create the population estimates, see http://www.census.gov/popest/methodology/index.html. // Each year, the Census Bureaus Population Estimates Program (PEP) utilizes current data on births, deaths, and migration to calculate population change since the most recent decennial census, and produces a time series of estimates of population. The annual time series of estimates begins with the most recent decennial census data and extends to the vintage year. The vintage year (e.g., V2014) refers to the final year of the time series. The reference date for all estimates is July 1, unless otherwise specified. With each new issue of estimates, the Census Bureau revises estimates for years back to the last census. As each vintage of estimates includes all years since the most recent decennial census, the latest vintage of data available supersedes all previously produced estimates for those dates. The Population Estimates Program provides additional information including historical and intercensal estimates, evaluation estimates, demographic analysis, and research papers on its website: http://www.census.gov/popest/index.html.

United States Population: Alabama data was reported at 4,874,747.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,860,545.000 Person for 2016. United States Population: Alabama data is updated yearly, averaging 4,693,086.000 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,874,747.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 4,451,849.000 Person in 2000. United States Population: Alabama data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G003: Population By State.

This map shows population density of the United States. Areas in darker magenta have much higher population per square mile than areas in orange or yellow. Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics. The map's layers contain total population counts by sex, age, and race groups for Nation, State, County, Census Tract, and Block Group in the United States and Puerto Rico. From the Census:"Population density allows for broad comparison of settlement intensity across geographic areas. In the U.S., population density is typically expressed as the number of people per square mile of land area. The U.S. value is calculated by dividing the total U.S. population (316 million in 2013) by the total U.S. land area (3.5 million square miles).When comparing population density values for different geographic areas, then, it is helpful to keep in mind that the values are most useful for small areas, such as neighborhoods. For larger areas (especially at the state or country scale), overall population density values are less likely to provide a meaningful measure of the density levels at which people actually live, but can be useful for comparing settlement intensity across geographies of similar scale." SourceAbout the dataYou can use this map as is and you can also modify it to use other attributes included in its layers. This map's layers contain total population counts by sex, age, and race groups data from the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics. This is shown by Nation, State, County, Census Tract, Block Group boundaries. Each geography layer contains a common set of Census counts based on available attributes from the U.S. Census Bureau. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis.Vintage of boundaries and attributes: 2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics Table(s): P1, H1, H3, P2, P3, P5, P12, P13, P17, PCT12 (Not all lines of these DHC tables are available in this feature layer.)Data downloaded from: U.S. Census Bureau’s data.census.gov siteDate the Data was Downloaded: May 25, 2023Geography Levels included: Nation, State, County, Census Tract, Block GroupNational Figures: included in Nation layer The United States Census Bureau Demographic and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Census Results 2020 Census Data Quality Geography & 2020 Census Technical Documentation Data Table Guide: includes the final list of tables, lowest level of geography by table and table shells for the Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics.News & Updates This map is ready to be used in ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online and its configurable apps, Story Maps, dashboards, Notebooks, Python, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. Please cite the U.S. Census Bureau when using this data. Data Processing Notes: These 2020 Census boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For Census tracts and block groups, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract and block group boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2020 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are unchanged and available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters).  The layer contains all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Census tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99). Block groups that fall within the same criteria (Block Group denoted as 0 with no area land) have also been removed.Percentages and derived counts, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name). Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the Data Table Guide for the Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics. Not all lines of all tables listed above are included in this layer. Duplicative counts were dropped. For example, P0030001 was dropped, as it is duplicative of P0010001.To protect the privacy and confidentiality of respondents, their data has been protected using differential privacy techniques by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2022, the state with the highest median age of its population was Maine at 45.1 years. Utah had the lowest median age at 32.1 years. View the distribution of the U.S. population by ethnicity here.

Additional information on the aging population in the United States

High birth rates during the so-called baby boom years that followed World War II followed by lower fertility and morality rates have left the United States with a serious challenge in the 21st Century. However, the issue of an aging population is certainly not an issue unique to the United States. The age distribution of the global population shows that other parts of the world face a similar issue.

Within the United States, the uneven distribution of populations aged 65 years and over among states offers both major challenges and potential solutions. On the one hand, federal action over the issue may be contentious as other states are set to harbor the costs of elderly care in states such as California and Florida. That said, domestic migration from comparably younger states may help to fill gaps in the workforce left by retirees in others.

Nonetheless, aging population issues are set to gain further prominence in the political and economic decisions made by policymakers regardless of the eventual distribution of America’s elderly. Analysis of the financial concerns of Americans by age shows many young people still decades from retirement hold strong concern over their eventual financial position.

This collection consists of modified records from CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING, 1960 PUBLIC USE SAMPLE [UNITED STATES]: ONE-IN-ONE HUNDRED SAMPE (ICPSR 7756). The original records consisted of 120-character household records and 120-character person records, whereas the new modified records are rectangular (each person record is combined with the corresponding household record) with a length of 188, after the deletion of some items. Additional information was added to the data records including typical educational requirement for current occupation, occupational prestige score, and group identification code. This version differs from the original public-use sample in the following ways: ages of persons 15-74 are included, 10 percent of the Black population from each file is included, and Mexican Americans (identified by a Spanish surname) from outside Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas are not included. This dataset uses the 1970 equivalent occupational codes. The Census Bureau originally used two separate codes for the 1970 and 1960 files, but these have been modified and are now identical.

Summary Tape File 2 (STF 2) files contain detailed complete-count tabulations for all persons and housing units in the United States. The STF 2B files provide summaries for states or state equivalents, state components, standard consolidated statistical areas (SCSAs) and the urban and rural portions of the SCSAs, standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) and the urban and rural portions of the SMSAs, urbanized areas, counties or county equivalents and the rural portion of the counties, minor civil divisions or Census county divisions, places of 1,000 people or more and the urban portions of any places that have been split into urban and rural components, American Indian reservations and their county portions, and Alaska Native villages. Population (or demographic) and housing items are contained in each type of file. The data are presented in two types of records. The first, record A, is presented once for each geographic area and summarizes total population and all housing units. The second, record B, is presented for the total population in each area and repeated for each race and Hispanic group in the area that meets nonsuppression criteria. Record B is presented for a maximum of 26 racial/Hispanic groups. If too few persons or housing units fall into an ethnic category in a census area, the data for that category are suppressed. There are 51 data files, one file for each state and the District of Columbia.

This layer shows Population. This is shown by state and county boundaries. This service contains the 2017-2021 release of data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, and contains estimates and margins of error. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis. This layer is symbolized to show the point by Population Density and size of the point by Total Population. The size of the symbol represents the total count of housing units. Population Density was calculated based on the total population and area of land fields, which both came from the U.S. Census Bureau. Formula used for Calculating the Pop Density (B01001_001E/GEO_LAND_AREA_SQ_KM). To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Current Vintage: 2017-2021ACS Table(s): B01001, B09020Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of API call: February 16, 2023National Figures: data.census.govThe United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.Data Note from the Census:Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Data Processing Notes:Boundaries come from the Cartographic Boundaries via US Census TIGER geodatabases. Boundaries are updated at the same time as the data updates, and the boundary vintage appropriately matches the data vintage as specified by the Census. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines clipped for cartographic purposes. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are still available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters). The States layer contains 52 records - all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The Counties (and equivalent) layer contains 3221 records - all counties and equivalent, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico municipios. See Areas Published. Percentages and derived counts, and associated margins of error, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name), and abide by the specifications defined by the American Community Survey.Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells.Margin of error (MOE) values of -555555555 in the API (or "*****" (five asterisks) on data.census.gov) are displayed as 0 in this dataset. The estimates associated with these MOEs have been controlled to independent counts in the ACS weighting and have zero sampling error. So, the MOEs are effectively zeroes, and are treated as zeroes in MOE calculations. Other negative values on the API, such as -222222222, -666666666, -888888888, and -999999999, all represent estimates or MOEs that can't be calculated or can't be published, usually due to small sample sizes. All of these are rendered in this dataset as null (blank) values.

New York was the most populous state in the union in the year 1900. It had the largest white population, for both native born and foreign born persons, and together these groups made up over 7.1 million of New York's 7.2 million inhabitants at this time. The United States' industrial centers to the north and northeast were one of the most important economic draws during this period, and states in these regions had the largest foreign born white populations. Ethnic minorities Immigration into the agricultural southern states was much lower than the north, and these states had the largest Black populations due to the legacy of slavery - this balance would begin to shift in the following decades as a large share of the Black population migrated to urban centers to the north during the Great Migration. The Japanese and Chinese populations at this time were more concentrated in the West, as these states were the most common point of entry for Asians into the country. The states with the largest Native American populations were to the west and southwest, due to the legacy of forced displacement - this included the Indian Territory, an unorganized and independent territory assigned to the Native American population in the early 1800s, although this was incorporated into Oklahoma when it was admitted into the union in 1907. Additionally, non-taxpaying Native Americans were historically omitted from the U.S. Census, as they usually lived in separate communities and could not vote or hold office - more of an effort was made to count all Native Americans from 1890 onward, although there are likely inaccuracies in the figures given here. Changing distribution Internal migration in the 20th century greatly changed population distribution across the country, with California and Florida now ranking among the three most populous states in the U.S. today, while they were outside the top 20 in 1900. The growth of Western states' populations was largely due to the wave of internal migration during the Great Depression, where unemployment in the east saw many emigrate to "newer" states in search of opportunity, as well as significant immigration from Latin America (especially Mexico) and Asia since the mid-1900s.

Population: West Virginia data was reported at 1,815,857.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,828,637.000 Person for 2016. Population: West Virginia data is updated yearly, averaging 1,815,365.000 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,855,360.000 Person in 2012 and a record low of 1,798,582.000 Person in 2001. Population: West Virginia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G003: Population By State.

This map shows the total population in the United States in 2010. This is shown by state, county, tract, and block group. The size of the circles represent the amount of people living within an area. The map shows this pattern for states, counties, tracts, and block groups. There is increasing geographic detail as you zoom in, and only one geography is configured to show at any time. The data source is the US Census Bureau, and the vintage is 2010. The original service and data metadata can be found here.

United States Population: Texas data was reported at 28,304,596.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,904,862.000 Person for 2016. United States Population: Texas data is updated yearly, averaging 24,543,296.000 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,304,596.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 20,945,963.000 Person in 2000. United States Population: Texas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G003: Population By State.

This map shows the population density and total population in the United States in 2010. This is shown by state, county, tract, and block group. The color shows the population per square mile (population density), while the size of each feature shows the total population living there. This is a valuable way to represent population by understanding the quantity and density of the people living there. Areas with high population density are more tightly packed, while low population density means the population is more spread out.The map shows this pattern for states, counties, tracts, and block groups. There is increasing geographic detail as you zoom in, and only one geography is configured to show at any time. The data source is the US Census Bureau, and the vintage is 2010. The original service and data metadata can be found here.

This data collection contains information compiled from the questions asked of all people and every housing unit enumerated in Census 2000. The questions cover sex, age, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, type of living quarters (household/group quarters), household relationship, housing unit vacancy status, and housing unit tenure (owner/renter). With subject content identical to that provided in Summary File 1, the information is presented in 286 tables which are tabulated for every upper and lower chamber state legislative district and smaller geographic units within the districts: counties, county subdivisions, places, consolidated cities, and American Indian Areas/Alaska Native Areas/Hawaiian Home Lands. There is one variable per table cell, plus additional variables with geographic information, which are recorded in 2,080 data files, 40 for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The collection is supplied in 54 ZIP archives. There is an archive for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and for the convenience of those who need all of the data, a separate ZIP archive with all 2,080 data files. The codebook and other documentation constitute the last ZIP archive.

United States Population: Louisiana data was reported at 4,684,333.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4,686,157.000 Person for 2016. United States Population: Louisiana data is updated yearly, averaging 4,494,883.500 Person from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,686,157.000 Person in 2016 and a record low of 4,240,327.000 Person in 2006. United States Population: Louisiana data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G003: Population By State.