New data from the 2020 census was released on Thursday showing that almost all of the country’s population growth has occurred in its cities, while more than half of all counties have seen population declines since 2010.

New York’s population jumped to 8.80 million from 8.17 million in 2010.

The 10 largest cities have all grown over the past decade, and eight of the 10 grew faster this decade than last.

In New Jersey, Newark remains the largest city with 311,449 residents, up 1.8%

Jersey City’s population grew by almost 6%, but it remains the second largest at 292,449.

Jersey City’s development has been explosive over the past decade, but Newark has also grown – enough to remain the most populous city in the state.

HEART WARMING | Friends of 3 years who battled cancer reunite for the first time

Census numbers are important for redistricting, and both cities urged residents to return their census forms last year.

But the numbers are also important in the sometimes ironic rivalry between the two cities.

It’s likely that at some point in the future, Jersey City will overtake Newark, which has been the largest city in the state since the 1850s, but not this decade.

Nationally, cities have grown faster than the United States as a whole

“Population growth in that decade was almost entirely in metropolitan areas,” said Marc Perry, senior demographer at the US Census Bureau. “Texas is a good example of this, where parts of the Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas Fort Worth, Midland and Odessa metro areas have seen population growth, while many other counties in the state have seen declines. demographic.”

The population of metropolitan areas has increased by 8.7% since 2010, while the US population has increased from approximately 308.7 million in 2010 to 331.4 million, an increase of 7.35%. This is the lowest population growth since 1930-1940, the decade of the Great Depression.

The United States has also become more diverse over the past decade, and the white population has plummeted for the first time.

The new figures offer the most detailed portrait yet of how the country has changed since 2010, and they are sure to spark an intense partisan battle over representation at a time of deep national division and struggles for the right. of voting. The numbers could help determine House control in the 2022 election and provide an electoral advantage for years to come. The data will also determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in annual federal spending.

The numbers show continued migration south and west at the expense of Midwest and Northeast counties. The share of the white population fell from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2020, the lowest on record, although white people continue to be the most common racial or ethnic group.

However, that changed in California, where Hispanics became the largest racial or ethnic group, rising from 37.6% to 39.4% over the decade, while the share of whites fell from 40.1 % to 34.7%.

“The American population is much more multiracial and much more racially and ethnically diverse than what we have measured in the past,” said Nicholas Jones, a Census Bureau official.

The data comes from compiling forms filled out last year by tens of millions of Americans, with help from census takers and government statisticians to fill in the blanks when forms weren’t delivered or questions were asked. remained unanswered. The numbers reflect the countless decisions made over the past 10 years by individuals to have children, move to another part of the country, or come to the United States from elsewhere.

MORE NEWS: 30 New York businesses requiring proof of COVID vaccination

The release offers states the first chance to redraw their political districts in a process that is expected to be particularly brutal since control of Congress and state houses is at stake. It also offers the first opportunity to see, on a limited basis, how well the Census Bureau achieved its goal of counting every U.S. resident in what many consider to be the toughest decennial census in recent memory.

“The data we release today meets our high quality standards,” said Census Bureau Acting Director Ron Jarmin.

Even before it began, the count was challenged by attempted political interference from the Trump administration’s failed efforts to add a question about citizenship to the census form, a move critics feared. have a chilling effect on the participation of immigrants or Hispanics. The effort was stopped by the Supreme Court.

(CNN Wire and Associated Press contributed to this report)

———-
* Receive news from eyewitnesses
* Follow us on YouTube
* More local news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for news alerts Submit a Tip