Mean center of the United States population

Map showing changes to the mean center of population for the United States, 1790–2010 (US Census Bureau)

The center of the US population, 13th census, near Bloomington, Indiana

The center of the US population, 13th census (1910), near Bloomington, Indiana

The mean center of the United States population is determined by the United States Census Bureau from the results of each census. The Bureau defines it to be:

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After moving roughly west by south during the 19th century, during the 20th century the shift in the mean center of population was less pronounced, moving west and south. The southerly movement was much stronger during the second half of the 20th century; 79% of the southerly movement happened between 1950 and 2000.

Location info since 1790

US Census	County	Location description	Decimal coordinates
1790	Kent County, Maryland 1.)	23 miles east of Baltimore.
1800	Howard County, Maryland	18 miles west of Baltimore.
1810	Loudoun County, Virginia	40 miles northwest by west of Washington, DC.
1820	Hardy County, Virginia (now W. Virginia) 2.)	16 miles east of Moorefield.
1830	Grant County, Virginia (now W. Virginia) 2.)	19 miles west-southwest of Moorefield.
1840	Upshur County, Virginia (now W. Virginia) 2.)	16 miles south of Clarksburg.
1850	Wirt County, Virginia (now W. Virginia) 2.)	23 miles southeast of Parkersburg.
1860	Pike County, Ohio	20 miles south by east of Chillcothe.
1870	Highland County, Ohio	48 miles east by north of Cincinnati.
1880	Boone County, Kentucky	8 miles west by south of Cincinnati.
1890	Decatur County, Indiana	20 miles east of Columbus.
1900	Bartholomew County, Indiana	6 miles southeast of Columbus.
1910	Monroe County, Indiana	in the city of Bloomington.
1920	Owen County, Indiana	8 miles south-southeast of Spencer.
1930	Greene County, Indiana	3 miles northeast of Linton.
1940	Sullivan County, Indiana	2 miles southeast by east of Carlisle.
1950	Richland County, Illinois 3.)	8 miles north-northwest of Olney. 3.)	3.)
1950	Clay County, Illinois 4.)	3 miles northeast of Louisville. 4.)	4.)
1960	Clinton County, Illinois 5.)	6-1/2 miles northwest of Centralia. 5.)	5.)
1970	St. Clair County, Illinois	5 miles east-southeast of Mascoutah.
1980	Jefferson County, Missouri	1/4 mile west of DeSoto.
1990	Crawford County, Missouri	9.7 miles southeast of Steelville.
2000	Phelps County, Missouri	2.8 miles east of Edgar Springs
2010	Texas County, Missouri	2.7 miles northeast of Plato.
2015 (estimated)	Wright County, Missouri	8.0 miles southwest of Plato.
2020 (projected)	Wright County, Missouri	8.3 miles north of Hartville.

The 20.8 mile shift projected for the 2010–2020 period would be the shortest centroid movement since the Great Depression intercensal period of 1930–1940.

Notes on the table data

1. In the first census (1790) the mean population center was near Chestertown, Maryland.
2. The mean population centers of 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850 were in what is now West Virginia, given West Virginia's split from Virginia in 1863.
3. Computation method used until 1950.
4. Current computation method.
5. The addition of Alaska and Hawaii to the union moved the center about two miles (3 km) farther south and about ten miles (16 km) farther west in 1960.

See also

• Center of population
• Median center of United States population
• Geographic center of the United States
• Geographic center of the contiguous United States