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Countryaah.com

United States Population

United States Population

The United States is the most powerful country in the world. The country has traditionally been a champion of democracy and human rights, but faces criticism for its self-proclaimed role as world police. The country’s controversial President Donald Trump is making headlines and political fluctuations both nationally and internationally.

Key figures and facts

  • Capital: Washington DC
  • Ethnic groups: Whites 72.4%, Blacks 12.6%, Asians 4.8%, Amerindians and Indigenous people in Alaska 0.9%, Indigenous people in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands 0.2%, other 6.2%, mixed ethnic background 2, 9% Approximately 16.3% of the US population is “Hispanic”, originating from Central and South America or Spain. (2010)
  • Language: English 79%, Spanish 13%, other Indo-European languages ​​3.7%, Asian and Pacific languages ​​3.4%, other 1%. In Hawaii, Hawaiian is the official language, and in Alaska there are 20 official indigenous languages. (2015)
  • Religion: Protestants 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jews 1.9%, Mormon 1.6%, other Christians 0.9%,, Muslims 0.9%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 0.8%, Buddhists 0, 7%, Hindu 0.7%, other/unspecified 2.6%, none 22.8% (2014)
  • Population: 326 766 748
  • Control Form: Constitutional Federal Republic
  • Area: 9 831 510 km2
  • Currency: dollar
  • GNP per capita: 57 638 PPP $
  • National Day:  July 4th

Population of the United States

The United States has 328,063,586 residents (US Census, July 2018). The population comes from all parts of the world and is made up of several ethnic groups. 37 different countries are the countries of origin of more than one million Americans. The majority of the population is white, originating mainly from Germany, Ireland and England. Another large group is so-called Hispanics, Hispanic from Latin America. Then comes African-Americans, originating from various African countries, and American Indigenous peoples.

United States Country Population

Whites make up 76 percent, Hispanics 18 percent, African-Americans 13 percent, Asians six percent, U.S. Indigenous people 1.3 percent and Pacific Islanders 0.2 percent (2018). The figures are collected more than 100 percent because some claim to belong to several groups. About 82 percent of the population lives in densely populated areas, and there are 295 cities with more than 100,000 residents (2013).

Population of United States by Year (Historical)

Year Population Annual Growth Rate Population Density Global Rank
2020 331,002,540 0.590% 36.1854 3
2019 329,064,806 0.600% 35.9735 3
2018 327,096,154 0.620% 35.7583 3
2017 325,084,645 0.640% 35.5384 3
2016 323,015,884 0.670% 35.3122 3
2015 320,878,199 0.760% 35.0786 3
2010 309,011,364 0.930% 33.7813 3
2005 294,993,400 0.930% 32.2488 3
2000 281,710,798 1.220% 30.7968 3
1995 265,163,634 1.010% 28.9878 3
1990 252,120,198 0.950% 27.5619 3
1985 240,499,714 0.940% 26.2916 3
1980 229,476,243 0.930% 25.0865 3
1975 219,081,140 0.900% 23.9501 3
1970 209,513,230 0.960% 22.9041 3
1965 199,733,565 1.360% 21.8350 3
1960 186,720,460 1.690% 20.4124 3
1955 171,685,225 1.570% 18.7687 3
1950 158,804,284 0.000% 17.3606 3

Major Cities in United States by Population

Rank City Population
1 New York City 8,175,022
2 Los Angeles 3,971,772
3 Chicago 2,720,435
4 Brooklyn 2,300,553
5 Houston 2,296,113
6 Queens 2,272,660
7 Philadelphia 1,567,331
8 Phoenix 1,562,914
9 Manhattan 1,487,425
10 San Antonio 1,469,734
11 San Diego 1,394,817
12 The Bronx 1,384,997
13 Dallas 1,299,981
14 San Jose 1,026,797
15 Austin 931,719
16 Jacksonville 867,920
17 San Francisco 864,705
18 Columbus 849,995
19 Fort Worth 833,208
20 Indianapolis 829,607
21 Charlotte 826,986
22 Seattle 684,340
23 Denver 682,434
24 El Paso 681,013
25 Detroit 677,005
26 Boston 667,026
27 Memphis 655,659
28 New South Memphis 641,497
29 Portland 632,198
30 Oklahoma City 631,235
31 Las Vegas 623,636
32 Baltimore 621,738
33 Washington, D.C. 601,612
34 Milwaukee 600,044
35 South Boston 571,170
36 Albuquerque 559,010
37 Tucson 531,530
38 Nashville 530,741
39 Fresno 519,941
40 Sacramento 490,601
41 Kansas City 475,267
42 Long Beach 474,029
43 Mesa 471,714
44 Staten Island 468,619
45 Atlanta 463,767
46 Colorado Springs 456,457
47 Virginia Beach 452,634
48 Raleigh 450,955
49 Omaha 443,774
50 Miami 440,892
51 Oakland 419,156
52 Minneapolis 410,828
53 Tulsa 403,394
54 Wichita 389,854
55 New Orleans 389,506
56 Arlington 388,014
57 Cleveland 387,961
58 Bakersfield 373,529
59 Honolulu 371,546
60 Tampa 368,964
61 Aurora 359,296
62 Anaheim 350,631
63 West Raleigh 338,648
64 Santa Ana 335,289
65 Corpus Christi 323,963
66 Riverside 322,313
67 St. Louis 315,574
68 Lexington-Fayette 314,377
69 Stockton 305,547
70 Pittsburgh 304,280
71 Anchorage 298,584
72 Cincinnati 296,832
73 Meads 288,538
74 Ironville 288,538
75 Henderson 285,556
76 Greensboro 285,231
77 Saint Paul 284,957
78 Plano 283,447
79 Newark 281,833
80 Toledo 279,678
81 Lincoln 277,237
82 Orlando 270,823
83 Chula Vista 265,646
84 Jersey City 264,179
85 Chandler 260,717
86 Fort Wayne 260,215
87 Buffalo 257,960
88 Durham 257,525
89 St. Petersburg 256,972
90 Irvine 256,816
91 Laredo 255,362
92 Lubbock 248,931
93 Madison 248,840
94 Gilbert 247,431
95 Norfolk 246,282
96 Louisville 243,528
97 Reno 241,334
98 Winston-Salem 241,107
99 Glendale 240,015
100 Hialeah 236,958
101 Garland 236,786
102 Scottsdale 236,728
103 Irving 236,496
104 Chesapeake 235,318
105 North Las Vegas 234,696
106 Fremont 232,095
107 Baton Rouge 228,479
108 Lexington 225,255
109 Paradise 223,056
110 Richmond 220,178
111 Jamaica 216,755
112 San Bernardino 215,997
113 Spokane 213,161
114 Birmingham 212,350
115 Modesto 211,155
116 Des Moines 210,219
117 Rochester 209,691
118 Maryvale 208,078
119 Tacoma 207,837
120 Arlington 207,516
121 Fontana 207,349
122 Oxnard 207,143
123 Moreno Valley 204,087
124 Fayetteville 201,852
125 Huntington Beach 201,788
126 Yonkers 201,005
127 Glendale 200,909
128 Aurora 200,550
129 Montgomery 200,491
130 Columbus 200,468
131 Amarillo 198,534
132 Little Rock 197,881
133 Akron 197,431
134 Shreveport 197,093
135 Grand Rapids 194,986
136 Mobile 194,177
137 Salt Lake City 192,561
138 Huntsville 190,471
139 Tallahassee 189,796
140 Sunrise Manor 189,261
141 Grand Prairie 187,698
142 Overland Park 186,404
143 Knoxville 185,180
144 Worcester 184,704
145 Brownsville 183,776
146 Newport News 182,274
147 Santa Clarita 182,260
148 Harlem 181,148
149 Providence 179,096
150 Fort Lauderdale 178,479
151 East Flatbush 178,353
152 Spring Valley 178,284
153 Chattanooga 176,477
154 Tempe 175,715
155 Oceanside 175,580
156 Garden Grove 175,282
157 Rancho Cucamonga 175,125
158 Cape Coral 175,118
159 Santa Rosa 174,861
160 East New York 173,087
161 Vancouver 172,749
162 Sioux Falls 171,433
163 Peoria 171,126
164 Ontario 171,103
165 Jackson 170,563
166 Hollywood 167,553
167 Elk Grove 166,802
168 Springfield 166,699
169 Pembroke Pines 166,500
170 Deer Valley 165,545
171 Port Saint Lucie 164,492
172 Salem 164,438
173 Corona 164,115
174 Eugene 163,349
175 McKinney 162,787
176 Fort Collins 161,064
177 Lancaster 160,992
178 Cary 159,658
179 Tempe Junction 158,257
180 Palmdale 158,240
181 Hayward 158,178
182 Salinas 157,269
183 Frisco 154,296
184 Springfield 154,230
185 East Chattanooga 153,913
186 Pasadena 153,673
187 Alexandria 153,400
188 Pomona 153,155
189 Washington Heights 152,502
190 Lakewood 152,486
191 Sunnyvale 151,643
192 Escondido 151,340
193 Kansas City 151,195
194 Astoria 150,054
195 Hollywood 149,617
196 Borough Park 149,137
197 Clarksville 149,065
198 Torrance 148,364
199 Valencia 148,345
200 Rockford 148,167
201 East Hampton 147,882
202 Joliet 147,750
203 Paterson 147,643
204 Bridgeport 147,518
205 Naperville 146,989
206 Boise 145,876
207 Savannah 145,563
208 Mesquite 144,677
209 Syracuse 144,031
210 Metairie Terrace 142,378
211 Pasadena 142,139
212 Orange 140,881
213 Fullerton 140,736
214 Killeen 140,695
215 Dayton 140,488
216 McAllen 140,158
217 Bellevue 139,709
218 Metairie 138,370
219 Miramar 137,021
220 Hampton 136,343
221 Van Nuys 136,332
222 West Valley City 136,097
223 Olathe 134,194
224 Warren 133,945
225 Columbia 133,692
226 Thornton 133,340
227 Carrollton 133,057
228 Midland 132,839
229 Charleston 132,498
230 Waco 132,245
231 Sterling Heights 131,941
232 Denton 130,933
233 Cedar Rapids 130,294
234 New Haven 130,211
235 Roseville 130,158
236 Gainesville 130,017
237 Visalia 129,993
238 Coral Springs 129,374
239 Thousand Oaks 129,228
240 Elizabeth 128,896
241 Stamford 128,763
242 Concord 128,556
243 Surprise 128,311
244 Alhambra 127,653
245 Lafayette 127,546
246 Topeka 127,154
247 Kent 126,841
248 Simi Valley 126,677
249 East Los Angeles 126,385
250 Santa Clara 126,104
251 Murfreesboro 126,007
252 Sunset Park 125,889
253 Koreatown 124,170
254 Hartford 123,895
255 Sheepshead Bay 122,423
256 Amherst 122,255
257 Victorville 122,114
258 Abilene 121,610
259 Vallejo 121,142
260 North Stamford 121,119
261 Berkeley 120,861
262 Norman 120,173
263 Allentown 120,096
264 Evansville 119,832
265 Columbia 118,997
266 Odessa 118,857
267 Fargo 118,412
268 Beaumont 118,018
269 Independence 117,144
270 Ann Arbor 116,959
271 El Monte 116,621
272 Athens 116,603
273 Springfield 116,454
274 Round Rock 115,886
275 Wilmington 115,822
276 East Harlem 115,810
277 Arvada 115,257
278 Provo 115,153
279 Peoria 114,959
280 Lansing 114,945
281 Downey 114,108
282 Carlsbad 113,342
283 Elmhurst 113,253
284 Costa Mesa 113,093
285 Miami Gardens 113,076
286 Westminster 113,019
287 North Peoria 112,893
288 Clearwater 112,892
289 Fairfield 112,859
290 Bushwick 112,509
291 Gravesend 112,118
292 Rochester 112,114
293 Elgin 112,000
294 Temecula 111,900
295 West Jordan 111,835
296 Inglewood 111,555
297 Richardson 110,704
298 Lowell 110,588
299 East Independence 110,564
300 Gresham 110,442
301 Antioch 110,431
302 Cambridge 110,291
303 High Point 110,157
304 Billings 110,152
305 Manchester 110,118
306 Murrieta 109,719
307 Centennial 109,630
308 Richmond 109,597
309 Corona 109,587
310 Pueblo 109,301
311 Pearland 108,710
312 Waterbury 108,691
313 West Covina 108,373
314 Enterprise 108,370
315 North Charleston 108,193
316 Everett 107,899
317 College Station 107,778
318 Palm Bay 107,777
319 Pompano Beach 107,651
320 Boulder 107,238
321 Norwalk 107,029
322 West Palm Beach 106,668
323 Broken Arrow 106,452
324 Daly City 106,451
325 Sandy Springs 105,219
326 Burbank 105,208
327 Green Bay 105,096
328 Santa Maria 104,982
329 Universal City 104,889
330 Wichita Falls 104,599
331 Lakeland 104,290
332 Clovis 104,069
333 Lewisville 103,928
334 Tyler 103,589
335 El Cajon 103,568
336 San Mateo 103,425
337 Brandon 103,372
338 Rialto 103,021
339 Davenport 102,471
340 Edison 102,437
341 Hillsboro 102,236
342 Las Cruces 101,532
343 South Bend 101,405
344 Vista 100,779
345 Greeley 100,772
346 Davie 100,771
347 Chinatown 100,463
348 San Angelo 100,339
349 Renton 100,131
350 Roanoke 99,786
351 Kenosha 99,747
352 Clinton Township 99,642
353 Columbia 99,504
354 Erie 99,364
355 Portsmouth Heights 98,938
356 Richmond Hill 98,873
357 Alief 98,614
358 Spring Hill 98,510
359 Albany 98,358
360 Compton 98,351
361 Tuscaloosa 98,221
362 League City 98,201
363 Flint 98,199
364 Allen 98,032
365 Mission Viejo 97,045
366 Vacaville 96,692
367 Ventura 96,658
368 Highlands Ranch 96,602
369 Lawton 96,544
370 Beaverton 96,466
371 South Gate 96,290
372 Portsmouth 96,090
373 Sparks 95,983
374 Brockton 95,203
375 Federal Way 95,060
376 Dearborn 95,060
377 Lee’s Summit 94,983
378 New Bedford 94,847
379 Spokane Valley 94,808
380 Fordham 94,567
381 Livonia 94,524
382 Roswell 94,390
383 Orem 94,346
384 Yuma 94,028
385 Lawrence 93,806
386 The Woodlands 93,736
387 West Albany 93,683
388 Yakima 93,590
389 Quincy 93,507
390 Flatbush 93,250
391 Hesperia 93,184
392 Carson 93,170
393 Boca Raton 93,124
394 Santa Monica 93,109
395 San Marcos 92,820
396 Boyle Heights 92,674
397 Plantation 92,449
398 Lynn 92,346
399 Miami Beach 92,201
400 Arden-Arcade 92,075

Historical development

In the time since colonization began in the 17th century, the United States has experienced strong population growth, which, in addition to high natural growth, is due to high immigration, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At the nation’s birth in 1776, the population was around three million. A hundred years later, that figure was about 46 million, and by the 200th anniversary of 1976, the United States had 218 million residents. In 2000, the population in the country’s 3142 counties was estimated at approximately 281 million.

Growth in the period 1990–2000 was 1.1 percent annually, a large part of which is due to immigration. In October 2006, the population passed 300 million, and the Spanish or Portuguese speakers (Hispanics) had become the largest minority with almost 42 million or about 14 percent. Today, Hispanics are still the largest minority with over 57 million, about 18 percent.

The country’s original population

The American indigenous peoples (often called ” Native Americans “, often called Native Americans or First Americans) live mainly in separate reserves, most west of the Mississippi, and in cities, often concentrated in their own quarters. Indigenous peoples in what is today the United States when America became known to Europeans in 1492 is a controversy among the experts. The estimates range from 800,000 to several million, but most researchers prefer figures of the order of one million.

In the context of European colonization of the country, the population was greatly reduced due to war, exploitation and diseases brought by Europeans, reaching a low at the end of the 19th century. In 1900, the number was 237,000, in 1970 793,000, in 1980 was approximately 1.4 million, and in 1990 almost two million. At the 2000 census, one could indicate affiliation to several “races” (at the census, people even indicate ethnic affiliation), which complicates comparisons with previous measurements. About 2.5 million were thought to be “pure” Indians or Inuit, while over 4.1 million (1.5 percent of the United States population) indicated Native or Inuit origin combined with other backgrounds.

The strong increase in the years 1960–1990 is largely due to awareness and pride of descent among the indigenous people, as well as the opportunity to benefit from compensation for lost land that some tribes have been granted, rather than high birth rates. At the 2010 census, more than 2.9 million were of pure Native American or Inuit origin, and the number with a combined background grew to over 5.2 million (1.7 percent of the United States population).

The elderly

In 2000, approximately 35 million Americans were over the age of 65. This was an increase of 12 percent since 1990. But for the first time, this group grew more slowly than the total population, which increased by 13.2 percent over the same period. In 2000, the group aged 65-74 accounted for approximately 53 percent of the elderly (65+), the group aged 75-84 represented approximately 35 percent, while approximately 12 percent was over 85 years. However, the group over 85 years represented the strongest growth, with a full 38 percent. In contrast, the group aged 65-74 increased by only two percent (the number in the group aged 65-69 actually showed a decline of six percent), which was due to the low birth rates in the 1920s and 1930s. The female dominance was high in all groups over the age of 65, a total of 20.6 million women compared to 14.4 million men, and the gap was increasing with age.

In 2018, 16 percent of the population was over 65. The number over 65 is expected to double in the coming decades, from 49 million today to 95 million in 2060, as this group is expected to make up almost a quarter of the population (US Census, 2018).

Immigration

The first real colonization with permanent settlement took place in 1607 with the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. Later, New England was colonized (from 1620), and between these areas settled among other Dutch and Swedes (New York and Delaware). By the end of the 1600s, however, the entire east coast was from Georgia to New England on British hands. In the 18th century, immigration continued, and the population increased from about 210,000 in 1690 to 1.6 million in 1760 in English America. During this time, other nationalities joined the immigration, primarily Scots, Irish and Germans. At the beginning of the 18th century, the transport of African slaves to the United States began in earnest, almost exclusively to the southern states. In 1750, South Carolina had twice as many blacks as white residents.

During the 18th century the settlement was limited to the coastal plain. The Appalachians constituted a barrier to colonization westward. The French settlement of Québec (founded in 1608) and the Spanish dominion of Florida also limited the extent of settlement to the north and south respectively.

The really big immigration stream first came out in the 19th century, after the Napoleonic wars. While the average annual immigration during the period 1783–1820 was slightly below 7,000, it increased to approximately 260,000 annually in the 1850s and 880,000 annually in the period 1901–1910. In some years only in the 1900s, immigration exceeded one million.

Not only the immigrant population, but also the ethnic composition of the immigrant population underwent major changes until the First World War. In 1871-1880, 92 percent of immigrants came from Northern, Western and Central Europe, mainly the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and the Nordic countries. In the period 1891–1900, 52 percent of European immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe (in the period 1901–1920 77 percent). At the same time as this shift towards Eastern and Southern Europe, the number of immigrants from Asia increased, first with China as the most important country (from the 1850s), later from Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

The first immigrants settled mainly as farmers. Immigration during the 19th century came from a Europe that was largely a farming community. This created a strong demand for land in the United States, and immigration thus became a decisive factor for colonization westward. The colonization west of the Appalachians started in earnest just after the states became independent, but it was not until the end of the 19th century that the “vacant” agricultural land in the United States was largely used. In this way, the immigration stream was gradually channeled to the cities. Thus, a significant element of southern and eastern Europeans as well as Asians were obtained in the cities, while the countryside was completely dominated by people of northern and western European origin.

The strong immigration naturally brought with it a number of problems, and it created a good deal of dissatisfaction that manifested itself in quite strong anti-immigration waves, especially in the 1890s and during and after the First World War. These moods were partly a product of increased competition in the labor market and on the housing front, but also to some extent conditional on xenophobia and even racism. The series of restrictions introduced in the period 1882–1929 also had as a main consequence that less “desirable” individuals (mentally ill, prostitutes and people who could become a burden on the public) and entire peoples, oriental and southern and Eastern Europeans, were held out or released in smaller numbers than before.

The first group to be shut out was the Chinese, by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In 1907, the Japanese were virtually banned by the Gentlemen’s Agreement between the United States and Japan. Illiterate people were denied access through the Literacy Actin 1917, and in 1921 a quota system was introduced. The Act of 1921 imposed a “ceiling” on immigration from each country calculated on the basis of the number from their nationality group in the year 1910 (three percent). In 1924, the ceiling was lowered to two percent, while the base year was traced back to 1890, and all Oriental groups were excluded. This led to a further restriction on immigration from southern and eastern Europe, since the main stream from there assumed large dimensions only after 1890. The base year was then changed to 1920 in the law which came into force in 1929.

Until 1965, only minor changes were made to immigration laws, essential special arrangements for refugees after World War II and from communist states in Europe. The 1965 Act replaced the quota system based on nationality with quota systems for the eastern hemisphere (with a ceiling of 20,000 from a single country) and the western hemisphere. In 1978 this was changed to a common ceiling of 290,000, with a maximum of 20,000 from a single country. Two years later, the annual quota was lowered somewhat, while the Refugee Act separated refugees from ordinary immigration.

In particular, it was the illegal immigration from Mexico that was behind the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which was finally enacted in 1986. Those who could prove that they had been in the country before January 1, 1982, were granted a residence permit. With the Immigration Act of 1990, a selective immigration policy was again introduced, setting up a separate quota (140,000) with so-called “economic visas” for people with much needed expertise, as well as for people who could provide jobs. Likewise, the law set a special quota for nationalities that had become particularly prejudiced by the 1965 law (for example, the Irish). The law also introduced a moving ceiling on immigration for the next few years, and also meant amnesty for “undocumented” relatives of immigrants who had been legalized by the 1986 law (mainly Mexicans).

Congress has long been working on additional legislation to restrict and control immigration, especially from Mexico, while also aiming to legalize some of the estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. In 2006, President George W. Bush submitted several proposals involving labor contracts, amnesty schemes and the like, but the proposals met with strong opposition in Congress. Consequently, they were set aside after the congressional elections in November 2006. Congress nevertheless decided to build a fence of 1126 kilometers along the Mexico border, which the president sanctioned. Donald Trump has also, without success, insisted that Congress allocate large funds to a wall along the Mexico border. In the election campaign, he promised that Mexico would pay for this.

Between 1820 and 1992, approximately 60 million people immigrated to the United States. From the beginning of mass immigration to the present, the nature of immigration has changed in accordance with, among other things, the introduction of new laws, with changes in economic conditions, both in the sender and the recipient countries, and with the progress made in the means of communication.

The United States’ foreign-born population is expected to rise from 44 million people today to 69 million in 2060, ie from 14 to 17 percent of the population. The previous historical peak was in 1890, when almost 15 percent of the population was born abroad (US Census, 2018).

Ethnic distribution

The Norwegians live especially in the upper Midwest (Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota) and in the western states of Montana and Washington, as well as Texas and New York. With the exception of New York, the Norwegian settlement has largely been in the countryside. Other ethnicities include the large number of Mexicans in the southwest, Italians and Irish on the northeast coast, Germans in a wide belt from Pennsylvania and the Midwest, and Canadians in the north, especially on the New England coast, and in the Mississippi Delta (cajuns= acadians). Until recent decades, immigration to the Southern States has been low.

The ethnic composition of the population also shows major regional differences. Before the Civil War (1861-1865), most blacks lived in the southern states. After the abolition of slavery, a veritable stream of blacks began to the northern states, especially to the cities of the east. Today, blacks make up a disproportionately large proportion of the population in the poor inner-city districts, although more and more people have moved to affluent suburbs. In a special position stands the District of Columbia (Washington), where the population is predominantly non-white, and where the blacks make up about two-thirds. In 1790, blacks accounted for approximately 19.3 percent of the United States population, in 1930 approximately 9.7 percent and in 2000 approximately 12.3 percent or 34.6 million. Hispanics totaled 35.3 million (12.5 percent) in 2000 and has exceeded African Americans in number. However, Hispanics do not constitute a “racial” minority, but a language-based category.

Otherwise, Cubans and Puerto Ricans are an important part of hispanics, in Miami (Dade County) and New York City, respectively. The Puerto Ricans are US citizens, as the islands are US federal territory. In several cities, there have been rubbish between different ethnic groups, often as a result of conflicts of interest (for example, in the job and housing market between blacks and Hispanics) or ethnic roles (for example, Korean merchants in black residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles).

Immigration from Asia, mainly Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese, and from the Pacific Islands has been great in recent decades. These have mostly settled on the west coast and in 2000 constituted about 4.2 percent of the population. The large immigration of Hispanics, mainly from Mexico, has led to them now being the largest minority group.

The non-Hispanic white population is projected to shrink over the coming decades, from 199 million in 2020 to 179 million in 2060 – although overall the population continues to grow. The decline is driven by falling birth rates and increasing numbers of deaths over time as the non-Hispanic white population ages. In comparison, regardless of Spanish origin, the white population is expected to grow from 253 million to 275 million in the same period (US Census, 2018).

Regional distribution

Ever since the United States became a separate nation, the center of gravity of the population has been moving westward. From 1790 to 1990, the population center of gravity moved from Baltimore at Chesapeake Bay to Steelville, Missouri. At the 1980 census, it had moved west of the Mississippi River for the first time. From the time around World War I to the end of World War II there was a marked migration of people from the countryside to the cities. In 1920, the population was divided equally between city and country. After World War II, a new trend began, the move from cities to suburbs, which continued at full strength until the early 1970s. From the late 1950s, a noticeable regional population shift also began, from the northeastern states and the Midwest to the southern states, the “Sun Belt,” the two southernmost ranks of states. This trend continued into the 1980s, when it slowed and to some extent reversed by the economic downturn.

In the decade 1981–1990, the population in the western states increased by 22.3 percent and in the southern states by 13.4 percent, compared with the national average of 9.8 percent. A clear trend in the decade 1981–1990 was a “continental dilution”, a general movement from the inland to the coast, both in the north and south. However, the main conclusion of the development from 1960 to 1993 is that the southern and western states increased their share of the population, from 46.3 percent (30.7 percent and 15.6 percent) to 56.4 percent (34.7 percent and 21.7 percent).).

In the decade 1991–2000, the population increased by as much as 32.7 million. (13.2 percent) nationally, the largest increase in clean numbers in a decade in US history (relatively the population increased the most in the 1950s, by 18.4 percent). Western states grew the fastest by 19.7 percent and the Southern States by 17.3 percent, while in the Midwest, the population grew by a moderate 7.9 percent and in the Northeast states by only 5.5 percent. Nevada grew the fastest by 66 percent, while North Dakota’s growth was 0.5 percent. In the south, the population of Georgia increased the most, by 26 percent, while the nation’s capital, Washington, yielded a full 5.7 percent. In the Midwest, Minnesota increased the most for the third consecutive year by 12 percent. The four regions now have 63.2, 100.2, 64.4 and 53.6 million residents respectively. In the belt along the Mexico border, growth was 21 percent, while along the Canadian border it was only 0.8 percent. In the 1950s-2000s, the southern states increased their share of the population from 31 to 36 percent and the western states from 13 to 22 percent, while the Midwest lost its share from 29 to 23 percent and the northeast states from 26 to 19 percent.

From 2000 to 2010, the percentage increase in the population was the lowest in a decade since the 1930s, and about the same level as in the period 1980-1909. The increase for the whole country was about 27.3 million (9.7 percent), and the population was about 308.7 million in 2010. The average hides large regional differences: the southern states increased by 14.2 percent and the western states by 13.8 percent while The Midwest had an increase of 3.9 percent and the northeastern states increased by 3.2 percent. In 2010, the southern states had approximately 114.6 million residents. The Western states had about 71, 9 million, and passed for the first time the Midwest, which had about 66.9 million in population. In the northeastern states, approximately 55.3 million residents lived in 2010. The southern states and the western states together accounted for 84.4 percent of the total population increase during the period.

Nevada was the fastest growing state in the decade 2000-2010 (35.1 percent), followed by Arizona (24.6 percent) and Utah with 23.8 percent. Texas had the largest nominal increase with approximately 4.3 million residents, California followed closely with 3.4 million and Florida with 2.8 million. The only state with a decline in population between 2000 and 2010 was Michigan, which had a reduction of about 55,000 (0.6 percent).

As a result of the high mobility, significant population concentrations (conurbations) have emerged in several places in the country. The largest, commonly known as Megalopolis, extends north and south from New York City. Another center of gravity is the Chicago area and a third is the Los Angeles region. Future researchers talk about three “megalopoles”: “Boshwash” (Boston – Washington, DC), “Chipitts” (Chicago – Pittsburgh), and “Sansan” (San Francisco – San Diego).

Cities

Like other industrialized countries, the United States has seen strong growth in the proportion of the population living in or around cities. About 1920, half lived in cities. In 1990, 75.2 percent of the population lived in urban areas (towns with at least 2,500 residents), while in 2016 the figure was 84 percent. In 2016, there were 382 metropolitan regions (Metropolitan Statistical Areas, abbreviated MSA, areas with over 50,000 residents). Of these, 53 had over one million residents and comprised about 55 percent of the population. In 2016, approximately 25 percent lived in metropolitan regions with at least five million. New York is the largest metropolitan region with 20,320,876 residents (US Census, 2017).

The largest cities in the United States

City State Residents (2016)
New York City New York 8 538 000
Los Angeles California 3 976 000
Chicago Illinois 2 705 000
Houston Texas 2 304 000
Phoenix Arizona 1 615 000
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1 568 000
San Antonio Texas 1 493 000
San Diego California 1 407 000
Dallas Texas 1 318 000
San Jose California 1 025 000
Austin Texas 948 000
Jacksonville Florida 881 000
San Francisco California 871 000
Indianapolis Indiana 865 000
Columbus Ohio 860 000
Fort Worth Texas 854 000
Charlotte North Carolina 842 000
Seattle Washington 704 000
Denver Colorado 693 000
Nashville Tennessee 684 000
El Paso Texas 683 000
Washington District of Columbia 681 000
Boston Massachusetts 673 000
Seattle Washington 668 000
Denver Colorado 664 000
Washington District of Columbia 659 000
Memphis Tennessee 657 000
Boston Massachusetts 656 000
Detroit Michigan 673 000
Memphis Tennessee 653 000
Portland Oregon 640 000
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 638 000
Las Vegas Nevada 633 000
Baltimore Maryland 615 000
Milwaukee Wisconsin 595 000
Albuquerque New Mexico 559 000
Tucson Arizona 531 000
Fresno California 522 000

Source: U.S. Census, 2017

Population

At the 2010 census, the US Census divided the population by “race” and “ethnicity”. The term Hispanic/Latino refers to populations originating in Spain or Latin America, and is the fastest growing population in the United States.

The figures in the tables below refer to the US Census estimates as of January 1, 2015.

Race Number of citizens Percent
white 248 320 000 77.4
Afro-Americans 42 440 000 13.2
Asians 17 456 000 5.4
Indians and Inuit 3 988 000 1.2
Hawaii and Oceania 746 000 0.2
Multi (at least two breeds) 8 050 000 2.5
Ethnicity Number of citizens Percent
Hispanic/Latino (all races) 57 140 000 17.8
Not H/L (all breeds) 263 860 000 82.2
Population total 321 000 000 100.0

Largest urban areas

Metropolitan Statistical Areas, State (s) Population (2016)
New York – Newark – Jersey City, NY, NJ, PA 20 154 000
Los Angeles- Long Beach – Santa Ana, CA 13 310 000
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL, IN, WI 9 513 000
Dallas- Fort Worth -Arlington, TX 7 233 000
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 6 772 000
Washington- Arlington -Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 6 132 000
Philadelphia-Camden- Wilmington, PA, NJ, DE, MD 6 071 000
Miami- Fort Lauderdale -West Palm Beach, FL 6 067 000
Atlanta -Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5 790 000
Boston- Cambridge -Newton, MA, NH 4 794 000
San Francisco- Oakland -Hayward, CA 4 679 000
Phoenix- Mesa -Scottsdale, AZ 4 662 000
San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario, CA 4 528 000
Detroit-Warren- Dearborn, MI 4 297 000
Seattle- Tacoma -Bellevue, WA 3 799 000
Minneapolis – St. Paul -Bloomington, MN, WI 3 551 000
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 3 317 000
Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater, FL 3 032 000
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 2 853 000
St. Louis, MO, IL 2 807 000
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2 799 000
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 2 474 000
Orlando -Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2 441 000
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 2 430 000
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 2 425 000

Source: U.S. Census, 2017.

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