CHANGING NATION

A look at some of the newest U.S. Census information released this month

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN COUNTY POPULATION: 2010 TO 2020

The census reveals changes in the size and distribution of the population across the United States. The population of U.S. metro areas grew by 9% from 2010 to 2020, resulting in 86% of the population living in U.S. metro areas in 2020, compared to 85% in 2010.

“Many counties within metro areas saw growth, especially those in the south and west. However, as we’ve been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to,” said Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the Census Bureau. “This decline is evident at the local level where around 52% of the counties in the U.S. saw their 2020 census populations decrease from their 2010 census populations.”

County and metro area highlights:

The largest county in the U.S. in 2020 remains Los Angeles County with over 10 million people.

The largest city (incorporated place) in the U.S. in 2020 remains New York with 8.8 million people.

312 of the 384 U.S. metro areas gained population between 2010 and 2020.

The fastest-growing U.S. metro area between the 2010 census and 2020 census was The Villages, Fla., which grew 39% from about 93,000 people to about 130,000 people.

2,000 or more 1,000 to 1,999.9 500 to 999.9 100 to 499.9 50 to 99.9 Less than 50 This map shows the population density — expressed as persons per square mile — from the 2020 census at the state, county and census tract levels. U.S. density = 93.7

This map shows the percent change in total population from the 2010 census to the 2020 census at the state and county levels. U.S. percent = 7.4

72 U.S. metro areas lost population from the 2010 census to the 2020 census. The U.S. metro areas with the largest percentage declines were Pine Bluff, Ark., and Danville, Ill., at -12.5% and -9.1%, respectively.