Twenty-first census of the United States
←  1980 April 1, 1990 2000 →
U.S. Census Bureau seal
General information
Country	United States
Results
Total population	248,709,873 ( 9.8%)
Most populous ​state	California 29,760,021
Least populous ​state	Wyoming 453,588

The United States census of 1990, conducted by the Census Bureau, was the first census to be directed by a woman, Barbara Everitt Bryant. It 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. ^[1]

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.

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. ^[2] 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. ^[3]

This was the first census since 1890 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

A map showing the population change of each US State by percentage.

Population and population change in the United States by state

Rank	State	Population as of 1980 census	Population as of 1990 census	Change	Percent change
1	California	23,667,902	29,760,021	6,092,119	25.7%
2	New York	17,558,072	17,990,455	432,383	2.5%
3	Texas	14,229,191	16,986,510	2,757,319	19.4%
4	Florida	9,746,324	12,937,926	3,191,602	32.7%
5	Pennsylvania	11,863,895	11,881,643	17,748	0.2%
6	Illinois	11,426,518	11,430,602	4,084	0.0%
7	Ohio	10,797,630	10,847,115	49,485	0.4%
8	Michigan	9,262,078	9,295,297	33,219	0.4%
9	New Jersey	7,364,823	7,730,188	365,365	5.0%
10	North Carolina	5,881,766	6,628,637	746,871	12.7%
11	Georgia	5,463,105	6,478,216	1,015,111	18.6%
12	Virginia	5,346,818	6,187,358	840,540	15.7%
13	Massachusetts	5,737,037	6,016,425	279,388	4.9%
14	Indiana	5,490,224	5,544,159	53,935	1.0%
15	Missouri	4,916,686	5,117,073	200,387	4.1%
16	Wisconsin	4,705,767	4,891,769	186,002	3.9%
17	Tennessee	4,591,120	4,877,185	286,065	6.2%
18	Washington	4,132,156	4,866,692	734,536	17.8%
19	Maryland	4,216,975	4,781,468	564,493	13.4%
20	Minnesota	4,075,970	4,375,099	299,129	7.3%
21	Louisiana	4,205,900	4,219,973	14,073	0.3%
22	Alabama	3,893,888	4,040,587	146,699	3.8%
23	Kentucky	3,660,777	3,685,296	24,519	0.7%
24	Arizona	2,718,215	3,665,228	947,013	34.8%
25	South Carolina	3,121,820	3,486,703	364,883	11.7%
26	Colorado	2,889,964	3,294,394	404,430	14.0%
27	Connecticut	3,107,576	3,287,116	179,540	5.8%
28	Oklahoma	3,025,290	3,145,585	120,295	4.0%
29	Oregon	2,633,105	2,842,321	209,216	7.9%
30	Iowa	2,913,808	2,776,755	–137,053	–4.7%
31	Mississippi	2,520,638	2,573,216	52,578	2.1%
32	Kansas	2,363,679	2,477,574	113,895	4.8%
33	Arkansas	2,286,435	2,350,725	64,290	2.8%
34	West Virginia	1,949,644	1,793,477	–156,167	–8.0%
35	Utah	1,461,037	1,722,850	261,813	17.9%
36	Nebraska	1,569,825	1,578,385	8,560	0.5%
37	New Mexico	1,302,894	1,515,069	212,175	16.3%
38	Maine	1,124,660	1,227,928	103,268	9.2%
39	Nevada	800,493	1,201,833	401,340	50.1%
40	New Hampshire	920,610	1,109,252	188,642	20.5%
41	Hawaii	964,691	1,108,229	143,538	14.8%
42	Idaho	943,935	1,006,749	62,814	6.7%
43	Rhode Island	947,154	1,003,464	56,310	5.9%
44	Montana	786,690	799,065	12,375	1.6%
45	South Dakota	690,768	696,004	5,236	0.8%
46	Delaware	594,338	666,168	71,830	12.1%
47	North Dakota	652,717	638,800	–13,917	–2.1%
—	District of Columbia	638,333	606,900	–31,433	–4.9%
48	Vermont	511,456	562,758	51,302	10.0%
49	Alaska	401,851	550,043	148,192	36.8%
50	Wyoming	469,557	453,588	–15,969	–3.4%
	United States	226,545,805	248,709,873	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. ^[4]

City rankings

Top five

Rank	City	Population as of 1980 census	Population as of 1990 census	Change	Percent change
1	New York, NY	7,071,639	7,322,564	250,925	3.5%
2	Los Angeles, CA	2,966,850	3,485,398	518,548	17.5%
3	Chicago, IL	3,005,072	2,783,726	-221,346	-7.4%
4	Houston, TX	1,595,138	1,630,553	35,415	2.2%
5	Philadelphia, PA	1,688,210	1,585,577	-102,633	-6.1%

Top 100

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1990 United States Census.

• U.S. Census Bureau 1990 Census page
• Historic US Census data
• Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1990 Contains 1990 census results
• Booknotes interview with Sam Roberts on Who We Are: A Portrait of America, June 19, 1994.
• 1991 U.S Census Report (contains 1990 census results)