2020 United States Census — 24th national census of the United States, taken on April 1, 2020
The 24th U.S. decennial census recorded 331.4 million residents and introduced online and phone response options for the first time.
Key Facts
- Recorded population
- 331,449,281
- Population growth rate
- 7.4%
- Net population increase
- 22,703,743 persons
- Census number
- 24th decennial census
- Growth rate rank
- Second-lowest ever recorded
- Net increase rank
- Sixth-highest in history
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Constitutionally mandated every ten years, the 2020 census followed the 2010 count and was designed to enumerate the entire U.S. resident population. For the first time, respondents could reply online or by phone, alongside the traditional paper form. Administration was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted normal enumeration operations and timelines.
On Census Day, April 1, 2020, the United States conducted its 24th decennial census during the COVID-19 pandemic. The count recorded 331,449,281 residents across the 50 states and Washington, D.C., representing a 7.4% increase over 2010. It was the first census in which each of the ten most-populous states exceeded ten million residents and each of the ten most-populous cities exceeded one million residents.
The census data were used to reapportion seats in the House of Representatives and to determine the distribution of electoral votes for the 2024 presidential election. The recorded growth rate of 7.4% was the second-lowest ever, signaling a slowdown in national population growth with implications for federal funding allocations and political representation.