The median center of U.S. population is determined by the United States Census Bureau from the results of each census. The Bureau defines it to be:
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/US_Median_Center_of_Population_2020_Census.webp/220px-US_Median_Center_of_Population_2020_Census.webp.png)
the point through which a north-south line and an east-west line each divides the total population of the country in half.[2]
As of the 2020 U.S. census, this places roughly 165.7 million Americans living on each side of a longitude line passing through a location in Gibson County, Indiana, and the same number living on each side of a latitude line through the same point.
During the 20th century the median center of U.S. population moved roughly 180 mi (290 km) southwest, from a location in Randolph County, Indiana to a location in Daviess County, Indiana. The majority of this southwest shift happened in the second half of the century, as the center shifted within a narrow circular band between 1900 and 1950 – all within roughly 25 mi (40 km) of the 1900 starting point in Randolph County.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Median Center of Population for the United States: 1880 to 2010 from the U.S. Census Bureau website
- ^ Centers of Population Computation Documentation from the U.S. Census Bureau website