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1990 United States census

{{short description|21st United States national census}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox census

| name = Twenty-first census of the United States

| logo = Seal of the United States Census Bureau.svg

| logo_caption = U.S. Census Bureau seal

| image = 1990USCensusLogo.svg

| image_caption =

| country = United States

| region_type = state

| date = April 1, 1990

| population = 248,709,873

| percent_change = {{increase}} 9.8%

| most_populous = California
29,760,021

| least_populous = Wyoming
453,588

| previous_census = 1980 United States census

| previous_year = 1980

| next_census = 2000 United States census

| next_year = 2000

}}

The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1991-02.pdf |title=Population and Area (Historical Censuses) |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624185938/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1991-02.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2008 |url-status=live }}

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 the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

It was the first census to designate "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" as a racial group separate from Asians. 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 recruited Bill Cosby, Magic Johnson, Alfre Woodard, and Miss America Debbye Turner as spokespeople.{{cite journal|last=Brown|first=Frank Dexter|title=The 1990 Census: Will Blacks Be Counted Out?|journal=Black Enterprise|date=February 1990|volume=20|issue=7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hl4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA196 |access-date=July 29, 2011|page=195|publisher=Earl G. Graves, Ltd|issn=0006-4165}} The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. Personally identifiable information will be available in 2062.{{Cite web|title = The "72-Year Rule" – History |url = https://www.census.gov/history/www/genealogy/decennial_census_records/the_72_year_rule_1.html|website = U.S. Census Bureau |access-date = October 26, 2015 }}

This was the first census since 1880 in which Chicago was not the second-largest city, having been overtaken by Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, Los Angeles has remained the nation's second-largest city.

State rankings

File:1990 US Census Map.png

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

|+ Population and population change in the United States by state

Rank

! State

! Population as of
1990 census

! Population as of
1980 census

! Change

! Percent
change

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 1

| align=left | {{flag|California}}

| 29,760,021

| 23,667,902

| {{increase}} 6,092,119

| {{increase}} 25.7%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 2

| align=left | {{flag|New York|1909}}

| 17,990,455

| 17,558,072

| {{increase}} 432,383

| {{increase}} 2.5%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 3

| align=left | {{flag|Texas}}

| 16,986,510

| 14,229,191

| {{increase}} 2,757,319

| {{increase}} 19.4%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 4

| align=left | {{flag|Florida}}

| 12,937,926

| 9,746,324

| {{increase}} 3,191,602

| {{increase}} 32.7%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 5

| align=left | {{flag|Pennsylvania}}

| 11,881,643

| 11,863,895

| {{increase}} 17,748

| {{increase}} 0.2%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 6

| align=left | {{flag|Illinois}}

| 11,430,602

| 11,426,518

| {{increase}} 4,084

| {{increase}} 0.0%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 7

| align=left | {{flag|Ohio}}

| 10,847,115

| 10,797,630

| {{increase}} 49,485

| {{increase}} 0.4%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 8

| align=left | {{flag|Michigan}}

| 9,295,297

| 9,262,078

| {{increase}} 33,219

| {{increase}} 0.4%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 9

| align=left | {{flag|New Jersey}}

| 7,730,188

| 7,364,823

| {{increase}} 365,365

| {{increase}} 5.0%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 10

| align=left | {{flag|North Carolina|1885}}

| 6,628,637

| 5,881,766

| {{increase}} 746,871

| {{increase}} 12.7%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 11

| align=left | {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia|1956}}

| 6,478,216

| 5,463,105

| {{increase}} 1,015,111

| {{increase}} 18.6%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 12

| align=left | {{flag|Virginia}}

| 6,187,358

| 5,346,818

| {{increase}} 840,540

| {{increase}} 15.7%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 13

| align=left | {{flag|Massachusetts}}

| 6,016,425

| 5,737,037

| {{increase}} 279,388

| {{increase}} 4.9%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 14

| align=left | {{flag|Indiana}}

| 5,544,159

| 5,490,224

| {{increase}} 53,935

| {{increase}} 1.0%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 15

| align=left | {{flag|Missouri}}

| 5,117,073

| 4,916,686

| {{increase}} 200,387

| {{increase}} 4.1%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 16

| align=left | {{flag|Wisconsin}}

| 4,891,769

| 4,705,767

| {{increase}} 186,002

| {{increase}} 3.9%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 17

| align=left | {{flag|Tennessee}}

| 4,877,185

| 4,591,120

| {{increase}} 286,065

| {{increase}} 6.2%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 18

| align=left | {{flag|Washington}}

| 4,866,692

| 4,132,156

| {{increase}} 734,536

| {{increase}} 17.8%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 19

| align=left | {{flag|Maryland}}

| 4,781,468

| 4,216,975

| {{increase}} 564,493

| {{increase}} 13.4%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 20

| align=left | {{flag|Minnesota|1983}}

| 4,375,099

| 4,075,970

| {{increase}} 299,129

| {{increase}} 7.3%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 21

| align=left | {{flag|Louisiana|1912}}

| 4,219,973

| 4,205,900

| {{increase}} 14,073

| {{increase}} 0.3%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 22

| align=left | {{flag|Alabama}}

| 4,040,587

| 3,893,888

| {{increase}} 146,699

| {{increase}} 3.8%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 23

| align=left | {{flag|Kentucky}}

| 3,685,296

| 3,660,777

| {{increase}} 24,519

| {{increase}} 0.7%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 24

| align=left | {{flag|Arizona}}

| 3,665,228

| 2,718,215

| {{increase}} 947,013

| {{increase}} 34.8%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 25

| align=left | {{flag|South Carolina}}

| 3,486,703

| 3,121,820

| {{increase}} 364,883

| {{increase}} 11.7%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 26

| align=left | {{flag|Colorado}}

| 3,294,394

| 2,889,964

| {{increase}} 404,430

| {{increase}} 14.0%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 27

| align=left | {{flag|Connecticut}}

| 3,287,116

| 3,107,576

| {{increase}} 179,540

| {{increase}} 5.8%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 28

| align=left | {{flag|Oklahoma|1988}}

| 3,145,585

| 3,025,290

| {{increase}} 120,295

| {{increase}} 4.0%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 29

| align=left | {{flag|Oregon}}

| 2,842,321

| 2,633,105

| {{increase}} 209,216

| {{increase}} 7.9%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 30

| align=left | {{flag|Iowa}}

| 2,776,755

| 2,913,808

| {{decrease}} –137,053

| {{decrease}} –4.7%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 31

| align=left | {{flag|Mississippi|1894}}

| 2,573,216

| 2,520,638

| {{increase}} 52,578

| {{increase}} 2.1%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 32

| align=left | {{flag|Kansas}}

| 2,477,574

| 2,363,679

| {{increase}} 113,895

| {{increase}} 4.8%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 33

| align=left | {{flag|Arkansas|1924}}

| 2,350,725

| 2,286,435

| {{increase}} 64,290

| {{increase}} 2.8%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 34

| align=left | {{flag|West Virginia}}

| 1,793,477

| 1,949,644

| {{decrease}} –156,167

| {{decrease}} –8.0%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 35

| align=left | {{flag|Utah|1922}}

| 1,722,850

| 1,461,037

| {{increase}} 261,813

| {{increase}} 17.9%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 36

| align=left | {{flag|Nebraska}}

| 1,578,385

| 1,569,825

| {{increase}} 8,560

| {{increase}} 0.5%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 37

| align=left | {{flag|New Mexico}}

| 1,515,069

| 1,302,894

| {{increase}} 212,175

| {{increase}} 16.3%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 38

| align=left | {{flag|Maine}}

| 1,227,928

| 1,124,660

| {{increase}} 103,268

| {{increase}} 9.2%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 39

| align=left | {{flag|Nevada|1929}}

| 1,201,833

| 800,493

| {{increase}} 401,340

| {{increase}} 50.1%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 40

| align=left | {{flag|New Hampshire}}

| 1,109,252

| 920,610

| {{increase}} 188,642

| {{increase}} 20.5%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 41

| align=left | {{flag|Hawaii}}

| 1,108,229

| 964,691

| {{increase}} 143,538

| {{increase}} 14.8%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 42

| align=left | {{flag|Idaho}}

| 1,006,749

| 943,935

| {{increase}} 62,814

| {{increase}} 6.7%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 43

| align=left | {{flag|Rhode Island}}

| 1,003,464

| 947,154

| {{increase}} 56,310

| {{increase}} 5.9%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 44

| align=left | {{flag|Montana}}

| 799,065

| 786,690

| {{increase}} 12,375

| {{increase}} 1.6%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 45

| align=left | {{flag|South Dakota|1963}}

| 696,004

| 690,768

| {{increase}} 5,236

| {{increase}} 0.8%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 46

| align=left | {{flag|Delaware}}

| 666,168

| 594,338

| {{increase}} 71,830

| {{increase}} 12.1%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 47

| align=left | {{flag|North Dakota}}

| 638,800

| 652,717

| {{decrease}} –13,917

| {{decrease}} –2.1%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| —

| align=left | {{flag|Washington, D.C.|name=District of Columbia|1938|size=23px}}

| 606,900

| 638,333

| {{decrease}} –31,433

| {{decrease}} –4.9%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 48

| align=left | {{flag|Vermont}}

| 562,758

| 511,456

| {{increase}} 51,302

| {{increase}} 10.0%

align=center style="background:#ffffff;"

| 49

| align=left | {{flag|Alaska}}

| 550,043

| 401,851

| {{increase}} 148,192

| {{increase}} 36.8%

align=center style="background:#eeeeee;"

| 50

| align=left | {{flag|Wyoming}}

| 453,588

| 469,557

| {{decrease}} –15,969

| {{decrease}} –3.4%

align=center style="background:#D9D9D9;" class="sortbottom"

|  

| align=left | {{flag|United States}}

| 248,709,873

| 226,545,805

| 22,164,068

| 9.8%

Reapportionment

The results of the 1990 census determined the number of seats that each state receives in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 1992 elections. Consequently, this affected the number of votes each state has in the Electoral College for the 1992 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.census.gov/population/apportionment/data/1990_apportionment_results.html|title=1990 Apportionment Results|work=US Census Bureau|access-date=October 26, 2016}}

class="wikitable"
style="vertical-align:bottom;"

! Gained seven seats

| Gained four seats| Gained three seats|Gained one seat|Lost one seat|Lost two seats|Lost three seats
style="vertical-align:top;"

|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

City rankings

class="wikitable sortable"

! Rank !! City !! State !! Population{{citation |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |year=1998 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau }} !! Region (2016){{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |title=Regions and Divisions |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |archive-date=December 3, 2016 }}

01New YorkNew York7,322,564Northeast
02Los AngelesCalifornia3,485,398West
03ChicagoIllinois2,783,726Midwest
04HoustonTexas1,630,553South
05PhiladelphiaPennsylvania1,585,577Northeast
06San DiegoCalifornia1,110,549West
07DetroitMichigan1,027,974Midwest
08DallasTexas1,006,877South
09PhoenixArizona983,403West
10San AntonioTexas935,933South
11San JoseCalifornia782,248West
12BaltimoreMaryland736,014South
13IndianapolisIndiana731,327Midwest
14San FranciscoCalifornia723,959West
15JacksonvilleFlorida635,230South
16ColumbusOhio632,910Midwest
17MilwaukeeWisconsin628,088Midwest
18MemphisTennessee610,337South
19WashingtonDistrict of Columbia606,900South
20BostonMassachusetts574,283Northeast
21SeattleWashington516,259West
22El PasoTexas515,342South
23ClevelandOhio505,616Midwest
24New OrleansLouisiana496,938South
25Nashville-DavidsonTennessee488,374South
26DenverColorado467,610West
27AustinTexas465,622South
28Fort WorthTexas447,619South
29Oklahoma CityOklahoma444,719South
30PortlandOregon437,319West
31Kansas CityMissouri435,146Midwest
32Long BeachCalifornia429,433West
33TucsonArizona405,390West
34St. LouisMissouri396,685Midwest
35CharlotteNorth Carolina395,934South
36AtlantaGeorgia394,017South
37Virginia BeachVirginia393,069South
38AlbuquerqueNew Mexico384,736West
39OaklandCalifornia372,242West
40PittsburghPennsylvania369,879Northeast
41SacramentoCalifornia369,365West
42MinneapolisMinnesota368,383Midwest
43TulsaOklahoma367,302South
44HonoluluHawaii365,272West
45CincinnatiOhio364,040Midwest
46MiamiFlorida358,548South
47FresnoCalifornia354,202West
48OmahaNebraska335,795Midwest
49ToledoOhio332,943Midwest
50BuffaloNew York328,123Northeast
51WichitaKansas304,011Midwest
52Santa AnaCalifornia293,742West
53MesaArizona288,091West
54Colorado SpringsColorado281,140West
55TampaFlorida280,015South
56NewarkNew Jersey275,221Northeast
57Saint PaulMinnesota272,235Midwest
58LouisvilleKentucky269,063South
59AnaheimCalifornia266,406West
60BirminghamAlabama265,968South
61ArlingtonTexas261,721South
62NorfolkVirginia261,229South
63Las VegasNevada258,295West
64Corpus ChristiTexas257,453South
65St. PetersburgFlorida238,629South
66RochesterNew York231,636Northeast
67Jersey CityNew Jersey228,537Northeast
68RiversideCalifornia226,505West
69AnchorageAlaska226,338West
70Lexington-FayetteKentucky225,366South
71AkronOhio223,019Midwest
72AuroraColorado222,103West
73Baton RougeLouisiana219,531South
74StocktonCalifornia210,943West
75RaleighNorth Carolina207,951South
76RichmondVirginia203,056South
77ShreveportLouisiana198,525South
78JacksonMississippi196,637South
79MobileAlabama196,278South
80Des MoinesIowa193,187Midwest
81LincolnNebraska191,972Midwest
82MadisonWisconsin191,262Midwest
83Grand RapidsMichigan189,126Midwest
84YonkersNew York188,082Northeast
85HialeahFlorida188,004South
86MontgomeryAlabama187,106South
87LubbockTexas186,206South
88GreensboroNorth Carolina183,521South
89DaytonOhio182,044Midwest
90Huntington BeachCalifornia181,519West
91GarlandTexas180,650South
92GlendaleCalifornia180,038West
93ColumbusGeorgia178,681South
94SpokaneWashington177,196West
95TacomaWashington176,664West
96Little RockArkansas175,795South
97BakersfieldCalifornia174,820West
98FremontCalifornia173,339West
99Fort WayneIndiana173,072Midwest
100ArlingtonVirginia170,936South

Locations of 50 most populous cities

{{United States Cities Labeled Map 1990 Large}}

{{clear}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • [https://www.census.gov/main/www/cen1990.html U.S. Census Bureau 1990 Census page]
  • [https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html Historic US Census data]
  • [https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1990/compendia/statab/110ed.html Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1990] Contains 1990 census results
  • [https://www.c-span.org/video/?55948-1/portrait-america Booknotes interview with Sam Roberts on Who We Are: A Portrait of America, June 19, 1994.]
  • [http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1991-02.pdf 1991 U.S Census Report] (contains 1990 census results)

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