States differ hugely in how many people live in them. The largest cities help explain why.
Key idea
In the 2020 Census, the states with the most people were California (about 39.5 million), Texas (about 29.1 million), Florida (about 21.5 million), New York (about 20.2 million) and Pennsylvania (about 13.0 million). Wyoming had the fewest, about 577,000.
Why it works
Why do people cluster in some states? People settle where they can make a living: near ports and rivers for trade, on good farmland, and in places with jobs. Big cities draw more people, which brings more jobs. Mild weather has pulled many people to Florida, Texas and California. Mountains, deserts and cold, as in Wyoming or Alaska, keep numbers low.
Worked example: Round to the nearest million
Texas had 29,145,505 people in 2020. What is that to the nearest million?
- The millions digit is 9, so the choices are 29 million and 30 million.
- Look at the hundred-thousands digit: 1.
- 1 is less than 5, so round down.
Answer: 29,000,000.
Common mistake
People think the biggest states by area have the most people. Alaska is the largest state, yet only Wyoming, Vermont (and the District of Columbia) had fewer people in 2020. Area and population are different things: one measures land, the other counts people.