Locke spoke at a press conference Tuesday to announce the 2010 results.
– Drumroll, please: The final tally is in, and the total US population is 308,745,538, the 2010 census finds. The South’s population has grown the fastest in the US since 2000, at 14.3%; the West was the runner-up, growing 13.8%. But overall, the population has expanded at its slowest since the Great Depression, the AP reports. The Northeast grew 3.2% and the Midwest grew 3.9%. Every state but Michigan (whose population declined 0.6%) saw growth, with Nevada expanding the fastest at 35.1%. The census was successful, the commerce secretary said at a press conference—and it came in almost $1.9 billion under budget, thanks to high participation and good management. Some 74% of households responded to questionnaires, about the same rate as in 2000.