The population of the United States grew 13.2% from 1990 to 2000, from 248,709,873 to 281,421,906. This represents the largest census-to-census increase in American history. According to the Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org), the U.S. population is growing faster than the population in any other industrialized country. Why is our population growing faster?

  • The U.S. birthrate and immigration rate is higher than it is in other industrialized countries.
  • During the 1990s approximately 2.7 million people a year were added to our population. This matches the numbers added during the Baby Boom (1946-1964).
  • The rate is slower than it was before 1965, but the population base is so much larger.

The highest rates of growth occurred in the West. This region of the U.S. includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The rate of growth for the West was 19.7%. Between 1950 and 2000 the population of the West increased from 13 to 22% of the total population. There are 63.2 million people living in this region of the U.S.

This was the only decade in the 20th Century in which all states gained in population. The fastest growing states were in the West: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Idaho. California had the largest population increase in the 1990s, adding 4.1 million people. The fastest growing state in the country for the past four decades was Nevada. In the West, only Wyoming, Hawaii and Montana grew slower than the overall U.S. rate. Between 1990 and 2000, Las Vegas, Nevada was the fastest growing metropolitan area (83%). Of the largest cities in the U.S., Phoenix has the fastest rate of growth.

When the House of Representatives was created there were 65 members. After the first census in 1790, membership grew to 106 and continued to grow with each subsequent census. In 1911 the Congress limited the number of House members to 435. This means that with each census, some states loose and some gain House members. This process of distributing the 435 seats among each state is called apportionment. States also use census numbers for redistricting and redrawing political districts.

After the 2000 Census the following apportionment changes will take place in the House of Representatives:

Gain Two Seats Gain One Seat Lose One Seat Lose Two Seats
Arizona
Texas
Georgia
Florida		 California
Colorado
Nevada
North Carolina		 Connecticut
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Ohio
Oklahoma
Wisconsin		 New York
Pennsylvania

This demonstrates the westward population shift in the country. The most populous state in the country continues to be California, but in the 2000 Census this state did not grow at the rapid rate of past decades. Texas replaced New York as the second most populous state. The rise in the Hispanic population is reflected in the growth of the populations of these southern and western states: Arizona, Texas, Florida, and California.

Critical Thinking

Question 1: If the U.S. ever decided to limit its population, what are some methods that might have the best results? What would be the repercussions of these methods? How have other countries addressed their population problems? What kinds of new problems have developed as a result?

Question 2: Why do you think that the West was the fastest growing region in the U.S. during the past decade? Why was Las Vegas the fastest growing metropolitan area? What do you think are the primary reasons that people relocate? Do you know of any major employers or types of employment that are located in the West?

Question 3:  What are some ways that less populous states and those that are loosing population can maintain their stake of the political pie in the face of reapportionment?

Question 4:  As populations continue to shift and move westward and southward, what kinds of political problems associated with representation might states in the Midwest, that are loosing population, face? (Think about their economies, education, aging populations, and religious beliefs.)

 

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