| Twenty-first census of the United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 U.S. Census Bureau seal | ||||
 | ||||
| General information | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| Results | ||||
| Total population | 248,709,873 ( 9.8%) | |||
| Most populous | California 29,760,021 | |||
| Least populous | Wyoming 453,588 | |||
The1990 United States census, conducted by theCensus Bureau, determined the resident population of theUnited States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 personsenumerated during the1980 census.[1]
Approximately 16 percent of households received a "long form" of the 1990 census, which contained more than 100 questions. Full documentation on the 1990 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from theIntegrated Public Use Microdata Series.
It was the first census to designate "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" as a racial group separate fromAsians. The census was also the first census to be directed by a woman,Barbara Everitt Bryant.
To increase black participation in the 1990 United States census, the bureau recruitedBill Cosby,Magic Johnson,Alfre Woodard, and Miss AmericaDebbye Turner as spokespeople.[2]Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from theNational Historical Geographic Information System.Personally identifiable information will be available in 2062.[3]
This was the first census since 1880 in whichChicago was not the second-largest city, having been overtaken byLos Angeles. As of the2020 census, Los Angeles has remained the nation's second-largest city.
| Rank | State | Population as of 1990 census | Population as of 1980 census | Change | Percent change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  California | 29,760,021 | 23,667,902 | 6,092,119 | 25.7% |
| 2 |  New York | 17,990,455 | 17,558,072 | 432,383 | 2.5% |
| 3 |  Texas | 16,986,510 | 14,229,191 | 2,757,319 | 19.4% |
| 4 |  Florida | 12,937,926 | 9,746,324 | 3,191,602 | 32.7% |
| 5 |  Pennsylvania | 11,881,643 | 11,863,895 | 17,748 | 0.2% |
| 6 |  Illinois | 11,430,602 | 11,426,518 | 4,084 | 0.0% |
| 7 |  Ohio | 10,847,115 | 10,797,630 | 49,485 | 0.4% |
| 8 |  Michigan | 9,295,297 | 9,262,078 | 33,219 | 0.4% |
| 9 |  New Jersey | 7,730,188 | 7,364,823 | 365,365 | 5.0% |
| 10 |  North Carolina | 6,628,637 | 5,881,766 | 746,871 | 12.7% |
| 11 |  Georgia | 6,478,216 | 5,463,105 | 1,015,111 | 18.6% |
| 12 |  Virginia | 6,187,358 | 5,346,818 | 840,540 | 15.7% |
| 13 |  Massachusetts | 6,016,425 | 5,737,037 | 279,388 | 4.9% |
| 14 |  Indiana | 5,544,159 | 5,490,224 | 53,935 | 1.0% |
| 15 |  Missouri | 5,117,073 | 4,916,686 | 200,387 | 4.1% |
| 16 |  Wisconsin | 4,891,769 | 4,705,767 | 186,002 | 3.9% |
| 17 |  Tennessee | 4,877,185 | 4,591,120 | 286,065 | 6.2% |
| 18 |  Washington | 4,866,692 | 4,132,156 | 734,536 | 17.8% |
| 19 |  Maryland | 4,781,468 | 4,216,975 | 564,493 | 13.4% |
| 20 |  Minnesota | 4,375,099 | 4,075,970 | 299,129 | 7.3% |
| 21 |  Louisiana | 4,219,973 | 4,205,900 | 14,073 | 0.3% |
| 22 |  Alabama | 4,040,587 | 3,893,888 | 146,699 | 3.8% |
| 23 |  Kentucky | 3,685,296 | 3,660,777 | 24,519 | 0.7% |
| 24 |  Arizona | 3,665,228 | 2,718,215 | 947,013 | 34.8% |
| 25 |  South Carolina | 3,486,703 | 3,121,820 | 364,883 | 11.7% |
| 26 |  Colorado | 3,294,394 | 2,889,964 | 404,430 | 14.0% |
| 27 |  Connecticut | 3,287,116 | 3,107,576 | 179,540 | 5.8% |
| 28 |  Oklahoma | 3,145,585 | 3,025,290 | 120,295 | 4.0% |
| 29 |  Oregon | 2,842,321 | 2,633,105 | 209,216 | 7.9% |
| 30 |  Iowa | 2,776,755 | 2,913,808 |  –137,053 | –4.7% |
| 31 |  Mississippi | 2,573,216 | 2,520,638 | 52,578 | 2.1% |
| 32 |  Kansas | 2,477,574 | 2,363,679 | 113,895 | 4.8% |
| 33 |  Arkansas | 2,350,725 | 2,286,435 | 64,290 | 2.8% |
| 34 |  West Virginia | 1,793,477 | 1,949,644 | –156,167 | –8.0% |
| 35 |  Utah | 1,722,850 | 1,461,037 | 261,813 | 17.9% |
| 36 |  Nebraska | 1,578,385 | 1,569,825 | 8,560 | 0.5% |
| 37 |  New Mexico | 1,515,069 | 1,302,894 | 212,175 | 16.3% |
| 38 |  Maine | 1,227,928 | 1,124,660 | 103,268 | 9.2% |
| 39 |  Nevada | 1,201,833 | 800,493 | 401,340 | 50.1% |
| 40 |  New Hampshire | 1,109,252 | 920,610 | 188,642 | 20.5% |
| 41 |  Hawaii | 1,108,229 | 964,691 | 143,538 | 14.8% |
| 42 |  Idaho | 1,006,749 | 943,935 | 62,814 | 6.7% |
| 43 |  Rhode Island | 1,003,464 | 947,154 | 56,310 | 5.9% |
| 44 |  Montana | 799,065 | 786,690 | 12,375 | 1.6% |
| 45 |  South Dakota | 696,004 | 690,768 | 5,236 | 0.8% |
| 46 |  Delaware | 666,168 | 594,338 | 71,830 | 12.1% |
| 47 |  North Dakota | 638,800 | 652,717 | –13,917 | –2.1% |
| — |  District of Columbia | 606,900 | 638,333 | –31,433 | –4.9% |
| 48 |  Vermont | 562,758 | 511,456 | 51,302 | 10.0% |
| 49 |  Alaska | 550,043 | 401,851 | 148,192 | 36.8% |
| 50 |  Wyoming | 453,588 | 469,557 | –15,969 | –3.4% |
 United States | 248,709,873 | 226,545,805 | 22,164,068 | 9.8% |
The results of the 1990 census determined the number of seats that each state receives in theUnited States House of Representatives starting with the1992 elections. Consequently, this affected the number of votes each state has in theElectoral College for the1992 presidential election.
Because of population changes, twenty-one states had changes in their number of seats. Eight states gained at least one seat, and thirteen states lost at least one seat. The final result involved 19 seats being switched.[4]
| Gained seven seats | Gained four seats | Gained three seats | Gained one seat | Lost one seat | Lost two seats | Lost three seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Florida | Texas | Arizona Georgia North Carolina Virginia Washington | Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Montana New Jersey West Virginia | Illinois Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania | New York |
_location_map.svg)
