The U.S. Population Lines

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The U.S. is the 3rd most populous country in the world. The United States’ 2022 population is calculated at 335 million people.

Unlike China and India, the U.S. population is predicted to persist in growing throughout the century with no expected decrease (annual population growth is about 0.9%). The Census Bureau forecasts a U.S. population of 417 million in 2060.

The U.S. population is distributed unevenly. The Census evaluates that in the U.S. population living across over 3,000 counties. A mere 140, or 4.5%, of U.S. counties, are home to approximately 50% of those people.

While some of the most significant U.S. states include historic centers of population and industry like New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, the bulk is now situated in the so-called Sunbelt. These southern and southwestern regions have been boasting economically and demographically since the 1960s (California, Texas, Florida).

As a result, nowadays, about 40% of the U.S. population lives in counties on the shore.

The visualization below shows population density in the United States using the number of people living within a 1 square kilometer grid.

The map below was created using Quantum GIS (QGIS) and Qgis2threejs plugin.

Distance between lines ten kilometers

Distance between lines one-mile