List of U.S. states by population (2019 estimates)

What the list measures

The list counts usual residents of each state: people who live and sleep most of the time in that state. It includes citizens, lawful permanent residents and other non-citizen long-term residents. Short-term visitors are generally excluded. Service members stationed abroad and their families are typically counted at their home state for apportionment and statistical purposes. These rules are described in more detail by the U.S. Census Bureau and reflected in the Bureau’s annual estimates.

Method and data sources

State population rankings published for 2019 combine the most recent decennial census baseline with vital statistics (births and deaths) and migration data (domestic and international). The Census Bureau produces intercensal estimates using administrative records and survey information to adjust counts year to year. For the 2019 list the Bureau’s process and supporting materials appear in its published estimate files and explanatory notes: see the 2019 estimate release information and technical documentation at 2019 estimates and the Bureau’s methodology pages at state population methods.

Notable outcomes and patterns

• California remained the most populous state and Wyoming the least populous among the fifty states, illustrating the wide range of state populations in the U.S.
• In recent decades population growth has tended to be stronger in southern and western states, an ongoing shift from some northeastern and midwestern states. These trends affect congressional apportionment and federal funding distributions.
• Rankings can change slowly or quickly depending on migration flows and differing birth/death rates; annual estimates capture these changes between decennial counts.

Uses and importance

Lists of states by population are used for multiple purposes: allocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives through apportionment, informing the distribution of federal grants and programs, guiding state and local planning and infrastructure decisions, and providing context for economic and demographic research. Because of these implications, the rules about who is counted—including whether and how military personnel abroad or university students are assigned to a home state—are significant in practice and are discussed in detail by the Census Bureau and by legal and policy analyses (military counts, overseas residence, family assignment).

Scope and distinctions

The standard list covers only the fifty states; it does not rank territories or the District of Columbia as states. Numbers cited in public summaries include all usual residents except short-term visitors and are based on the Bureau's definitions and procedures. For the underlying data and the official tables, consult the Census Bureau's estimate releases and tables at data and tables and the agency’s main site at Census Bureau. Additional background on the estimate series and their revision history is available through the Bureau's documentation and other demographic resources (method notes, release notes).

For readers seeking the numeric ranked list of all fifty states by population according to the 2019 estimates, consult the Census Bureau's published tables and downloadable files at the locations referenced above (annual estimates, national total, United States summary).