Historical census population: 1910–2020

Separate census-year observations for the United States, 50 states and DC. Retained historical collection census-history-r1.

Preview: United States

Historical national census counts
Census yearResidentsMeasurement
191092,228,531Census count
1920106,021,568Census count
1930123,202,660Census count
1940132,165,129Census count
1950151,325,798Census count
1960179,323,175Census count
1970203,211,926Census count
1980226,545,805Census count
1990248,709,873Census count
2000281,421,906Census count
2010308,745,538Census count
2020331,449,281Census count

Coverage and row definition

The CSV contains 624 rows: 52 nation/state/DC geographies times twelve census years. Each row identifies internal ID, official code, name, census year, integer population, unit, measurement type, original source URL, publication date and a boundary note. It describes census counts, not July annual estimates or a later estimates base.

Source: Census Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020), published April 26, 2021. The table was checked and retained September 30, 2026. Our extract selects resident-population counts for the nation, states and DC; regional percent-change rows and Puerto Rico are outside this dataset. The original table remains the authoritative interpretation reference.

Historical definitions and dates

These observations retain historical geographic definitions. They are not interpolated to a standardized 2025 boundary, and changing territory and census definitions matter when interpreting the national series. Alaska and Hawaii have observations from before statehood; the presence of a row in the modern state list does not imply it was a state in every census year.

Reference dates also differ historically: April 15, 1910; January 1, 1920; and April 1 from 1930 onward. The file uses census_year rather than inventing a uniform July reference date. This site does not calculate exact annualized rates between these historical counts without an explicit elapsed-time convention.

Reuse and revisions

The underlying federal statistical observations retain Census attribution. Review the source catalog and citation text. The frozen extract is packaged with the initial annual-release downloads but has its own historical collection identifier and measurement type. A later correction must receive a new version rather than silently changing this file.

County and city census histories are not included because an approved compatible collection has not been ingested. Unsupported years remain missing. Use the annual PEP dataset for supported 2020–2025 observations and keep the series separate in charts and analysis.