It’s official: The United States is home to 308,745,438 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a 9.7 percent increase since the 2000 U.S. Census. All states increased in population, with the exception of a -0.6 percent decrease for Michigan.
Florida picked up two House seats, giving them 27 in total. Texas picked up four seats, and six other states picked up one seat each. New York and Ohio both lost two seats in the House, with Illinois, Michigan and six other states losing one each.
Now that we’ve got the major statistics covered, let’s count down and see if your state made the top ten list of the most populated U.S. states.
#10 Most Populated State: North Carolina’s majestic mountains, hills and hundreds of lakes starts the countdown with 9,535,483 residents. North Carolina is also known for the Wright Brothers, who made the first successful airplane flight in 1903.
# 9 Most Populated State: If you’re ever in Georgia, don’t forget to taste the peaches. There are 9,687,653 who call this Southern state home. Georgia is also the birthplace of the famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968 while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee.
# 8 Most Populated State: Michigan is boater heaven, with 1 million registered boaters. Four of the five Great Lakes border this great state of 9,883,640 people.
# 7 Most Populated State: The hot dog and professional baseball got its start in the good ol’ Buckeye State. Ohio is also the birthplace of seven U.S. presidents, and has 11,536,504 residents.
# 6 Most Populated State: There are 12,702,379 Pennsylvanians living in the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution. Pennsylvania is also known as “The Quaker State,” in recognition of William Penn’s Quaker religion and for the many other Quakers who settled there.
# 5 Most Populated State: As one of the leading producers of corn, Illinois has 12,830,632 people in over 57,000 square miles. Illinois borders Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri and Lake Michigan.
# 4 Most Populated State: Florida, my home state, is one of the top states for tourists and retirees. The Sunshine State is home to the NASA Kennedy Space Center and to 18,801,310 multicultural Floridians, for a 17.6 percent increase since the 2000 U.S. Census. If you’re visiting Florida, don’t forget your sun tan lotion, and beware of the alligators!
# 3 Most Populated State: In the Big Apple you will find 19,378,102 individuals from a myriad of backgrounds and cultures. The highest point in New York is Mount Marcy, 5,344 feet above sea level. New York is also home to the beautiful Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from the people of France.
# 2 Most Populated State: Everything is bigger in Texas. The Lone Star State has 25,145,561 Texans as of 2010. Texas covers 268, 601 square miles, which makes it the second largest state, with Alaska being the largest.
# 1 Most Polulated State: Home to a host of celebrities, California once again tops the list as the largest state in the nation. California became a state on Sept. 9, 1850. The Golden State is home to a whopping 37,253,956 people.
