Census: Nebraska grows 7.4% in early data report

    Nebraska continues to grow, up 7.4% over the last 10 years, according to initial population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday.
    This first release of population figures is broken down only to the state level.
    Nebraska reached nearly 2 million in the census figures with a total state population of 1,961,504 people. That compares to 1,826,341 people counted in the 2010 census—an increase of 7.4%.
    That matched the population growth of the U.S., which also showed growth of 7.4% during the last 10 years.
    One of the primary purposes of the census is to determine the number of seats each state will be allotted in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    Nebraska’s growth ensured that it will retain its three House  seats. Nebraska is among 37 states that will keep the same number of House representatives.
    Two of the largest states—California and New York—will each lose a seat in the House.
    Five other states will also lose a representative based on the new population counts. These include Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
    When states lose representatives, it means other states will pick them up due to their population growth.
    Texas will be the big winner, picking up two of the seven seats. The state has added nearly 4 million residents over the past 10 years, a growth rate of 15.9%.
    The other five states picking up a seat include Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon and North Carolina.
    Each House representative will represent an average of 761,169 constituents, up from 710,767 after the 2010 census.  
Nebraskans respond
    Nebraskans took census reporting seriously, based on the self response of citizens, according to David Drozd, Research Coordinator for the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
    Drozd said Nebraska had the fourth highest self-response rate in the country at 71.9%. Minnesota was the highest at 75.1%.
    With follow-up efforts, the Census Bureau stated that 99.9% of Nebraska’s households were counted in the census.
    Since the 1940 census, Nebraska has continued to show growth. It was less than single digits in the 1940 and 1980 censuses but 5% or better in the other six censuses.
    This census marks the first time that Nebraska kept pace with the growth rate of the country—7.4%.
U.S. population 331 million
    Overall population in the United States now totals
331,449,281 people. In the last 10 years, the U.S. has added 22.7 million in population, a growth rate of 7.4%.
    The growth from the 2000 census to 2010 was 9.7%.
    California remains the most populous state with 39.5 million people. Conversely, Wyoming is the smallest state with 576,851 people.
    Utah experienced the greatest percentage of growth of any state in this census, growing 18.4%, adding 507,731 residents.
    Colorado added 744,518 residents since the last census, a growth rate of 14.8%.
    West Virginia experienced the largest percentage decrease in population at -3.2%.
    Further breakdown of the population numbers at the county and city levels, for the purpose of congressional redistricting within states, will follow later this summer.
    More detailed statistical data, ie home ownership, gender, race, etc., is expected in early 2022.