The Center Of America's Population Moves West [CHART]

Once a decade the United States Census Bureau marks a point on the nation's map that it calls the "National Mean Center of Population." The Census Bureau describes it as "the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all 308,745,538 residents counted in the 2010 Census were of identical weight." (Hat tip to NYT's Economix)

This decade's National Mean Center of Population in Plato, Missouri maintains the steady westward movement that the point has made since it first started in 1790 in Kent County, Maryland. As people travelled westward, the national mean center crawled after them. This decade's step of 23.4 miles West and slightly South marks the shortest distance the point has travelled since 1970.

To see the National Mean Center's gradual move westward see the chart below provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. You can also learn the mean center of population by state here.

Comments

[Adam Lassila]

12:52 PM on 05/22/2011

Would be even further southeast if it were weighted by weight. :)

[Oonagh]

01:27 PM on 05/16/2011

Aren't those States part of tornado alley?

[intolleft]

09:08 AM on 05/16/2011

Go West young man!

[Birdbone]

07:37 PM on 05/15/2011

PAC NW FTW

[Adam Lassila]

12:49 PM on 05/22/2011

Nice green anarchist flag!

[Duppy]

12:06 PM on 05/15/2011

It would have to be West all the way to California for me. Could not live with republicans in the middle of the country. I would be forced to jump off a bridge

[Christy Sargent Anderson]

08:44 AM on 05/15/2011

It's apparent that the map has moved south toward Texas. I would say that explains why poll after poll suggests strongly that the US is on the wrong track.

[Mister Grumpy]

09:56 PM on 05/14/2011

I'm sure that illegal immigration doesn't figure into the mix either.............

[Dreamaholic]

10:12 PM on 05/14/2011

does it ever?

[Adam Lassila]

12:50 PM on 05/22/2011

Actually, the census does count illegal immigrants.

[iridium53]

09:03 PM on 05/14/2011

So, the New Yorker view of the world isn't the correct one?

[graffitijoe]

06:50 PM on 05/14/2011

It looks like it's headed more south than west - in fact it looks like it's headed for Texas.

[Alexodia]

12:35 AM on 05/15/2011

common hit texas i need some fellow moderates and liberals down there... being surrounded by rednecks who brag about their guns but dont know the first thing about them is really annoying. I need real conversations so please hurry to central texas soon all you migrating peoples. =P

[QuantProgrammer]

08:19 AM on 05/16/2011

You need to learn to talk about football. :-)

[Peter Combs]

01:18 AM on 05/15/2011

Texas IS one of the fastest growing states by population in the USA..

[Oonagh]

01:43 PM on 05/16/2011

And they say going Democratic because of the Hispanic vote.... those old boys are going to have to up and run to Red..

[KIVPossum]

04:48 PM on 05/14/2011

It wouldn't more south as quickly if the economic refugees from the north weren't invading

[rf dude]

04:21 PM on 05/14/2011

It would have gotten further West faster, but it spent a LONG time at Lake of the Ozarks - Charlie Daniel's Band was playing, and it could never get enough of the Elvis Shows...

[Joshy X]

04:10 PM on 05/14/2011

this explains why people flee blue states in droves.... New Yorkers under 30 are fleeing to avoid big liberal taxation... Red states are the future

[Alexodia]

12:36 AM on 05/15/2011

Heh yep. Specially if the Bryan Fisher backed representatives have their way. Then the south can start murd.... punishing gays again.

[Joshy X]

11:08 AM on 05/15/2011

guess you think Dahmer was from the south huh? haha

[QuantProgrammer]

08:20 AM on 05/16/2011

To a certain extent, yes. I will say that it's easier to be a less regulated state if you have a lower population density. Fewer people tripping over each other= fewer negative externalities to regulate.

[NoSandwiches]

01:56 PM on 05/14/2011

that's about where the mean center is, all right.

[trinity]

01:56 PM on 05/14/2011

Well this explains why anti-government Republicans will never turn down a government handout to rebuild after every hurricane/tornado, no matter how much they scream about "living off the government teet"...Who would move to FL, MS, TX, LA, etc. if they never had the money to rebuild?

They will also never turn down a government handout when it comes to helping their oil/coal industry buddies...

[noaxe397]

01:26 PM on 05/14/2011

The challenge for Dems represented by this continuing trend is it will take winning electoral votes in places not Dem friendly to reach 270.
 
Kerry needed to find around 7 more EVs in unfriendly areas than Gore and Obama had to find about 8 more than Kerry in 2008.
 
Granted, Obama won in a landslide, but the 2012 election will be more challenging and even more EVs will need to be won on the red playing field to reach 270.
 
There is talk that, for the first time ever California will lose an EV in 2012.

[ronaldrealist66]

01:41 PM on 05/14/2011

If Gore would have won his home state (Tenn. 12 EV) he would have been president. When the home folks vote against you, you must be real bad!

[Bmayo27]

04:46 PM on 05/14/2011

I'm not comparing Al Gore to Jesus....But, Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his home town." Mark 6:1-6

Just sayin'

[noaxe397]

05:17 PM on 05/14/2011

Fair point.  Given the closeness of the EV count, ANY state that flipped would have switched the final outcome.
 
Gore's biggest mistake was not using Clinton in TN or AR to work just that one state and win it for Gore.

[graffitijoe]

06:52 PM on 05/14/2011

That's why we need to get those illegals some amnesty - so they can vote.

[Dreamaholic]

10:05 PM on 05/14/2011

Oh sure.....break_the law and we will give you a voice in our country. WRONG! Illegal_is illegal_no matter how you slice it. It's bad enough that they_broke the law to get here but_stealing peoples identities to get jobs is much worse. Felons_in my book should never vote!