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CNMI now has smallest population among US states and territories
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Posted on Aug 28 2011
The CNMI’s population of 53,883 as of April 1, 2010 is now the smallest among all U.S. states and territories, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
The CNMI had a population of 69,221 in 2000, higher than American Samoa’s population of 57,291 at the time.
Ten years later, American Samoa outranked the CNMI in terms of population.
American Samoa’s population decreased by only 3.1 percent to 55,519 compared to the CNMI’s 53,883.
A 22.2-percent decrease in the CNMI’s population was mainly a result of the demise of the garment industry which used to employ thousands of workers from Asian countries and a general economic decline.
Guam has the third lowest population among territories with 159,358 in 2010, a 2.9-percent increase from 154,805 in 2000.
The U.S. Virgin Islands’ population is 106,405, a 2-percent decrease from 108,612 in 2000.
Puerto Rico’s population is at 3,725,789, a 2.2-percent drop from 3,808,610 in 2000.
California’s population of over 37 million is the highest among all U.S. states, while Wyoming’s population of 563,626 is the lowest.
The states in between have a population of anywhere between 625,741 and over 25 million.
The United States population rose by 9.7 percent—from 281,421,906 in the 2000 Census to 308,745,538 as of April 1, 2010.
Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan said while the decline in the CNMI’s population is “striking, it is not surprising.”
“For several years, we have witnessed many people leave our islands. Unfortunately, with our significantly lower population, a lot of our federal grants which are based on population will be affected. Now, more than ever, we must do all we can to maximize our increasingly limited resources to best serve our people,” Sablan said.
Among these grants are formula grants that are based on population.
Sablan said the CNMI receives a little over $160 million in federal grants annually, a “good portion of which” is formula grant.
In the spring of 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to issue more Census 2010 data for the CNMI, including demographic profiles which will uncover basic demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics.
