The decade of the 1990's was the only decade of the 20th century when every state gained population. Nevada grew the fastest (66 percent); North Dakota grew the least (0.5 percent). California had the largest numerical population increase, adding 4.1 million people. The District of Columbia actually declined in population during the 1990's, by almost 6 percent.

The Majority of the Population Lived in the Ten Most Populous States.

The nation's 10 most populous states accounted for 54 percent of the nation's population on July 1, 2003. California, Texas and Florida combined for 42 percent of the nation's numerical population increase between 2002 and 2003. California remained the most populous state in the nation with 35.5 million people in 2003. The second and third most populous states were Texas (22.1 million) and New York (19.2 million). There was only one change in the ranking of the 10 most populous states between 2002 and 2003, as Georgia (ninth) passed New Jersey (10th).

Higher Growth for Metropolitan Areas

In general, metropolitan areas across the US grew faster (14 percent) than nonmetropolitan areas (10 percent). For instance, major metropolitan areas in Texas show up as pockets of fast population growth, while most of the nonmetropolitan counties in the state recorded either slow growth or population decline. In 2000, 80.3 percent of those counted (226 million people) lived in metropolitan areas, up from the 198.4 million people (79.8 percent) in 1990.