EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EDT, JULY 31, 2000 (MONDAY)
Public Information Office CB00-125
301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov
Jennifer Day/Avalaura Gaither
301-457-2464
California, Texas and Florida Will Show Biggest Increases
in Voting-Age Population in November, Census Bureau Projects
Between November 1996 and November 2000, California will have gained
2 million people of voting age, followed by Texas (1 million) and Florida
(700,000), according to projections released today by the Commerce
Department's Census Bureau.
Nevada's voting-age population is projected to grow the fastest
(16 percent), followed by Arizona (12 percent) and Texas (9 percent), the
Census Bureau report said.
"About 93 percent of U.S. residents of voting age are citizens, but the
voting-age population also includes people age 18 years and over who are
not eligible to vote, such as noncitizens, and these projections do not
cover Americans living overseas who also may vote," said Jennifer Day, a
Census Bureau analyst.
Nationwide, the number of residents old enough to vote in November is
projected to increase to 206 million -- 9 million more than in the last
presidential election in 1996 (a 5 percent increase).
Women could represent 52 percent of the voting-age population in
November, outnumbering men by 8 million. They are projected to surpass men
in all voting-age groups except for ages 18 to 24, where there will be
552,000 more men than women. Women could also outnumber voting-age men in
every state except Alaska (53 percent men) and Nevada (51 percent men).
Other highlights:
States:
- States with small changes in voting-age population since the last
presidential election, according to the projections, are North
Dakota, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania all with less than 1 percent
growth. Washington, D.C., is projected to have a 4 percent loss in
voting-age population between 1996 an 2000.
- States projected to have 1 million or more African Americans of
voting-age by November 2000 are New York (2.3 million), California
(1.9 million),Texas (1.8 million), Florida (1.6 million), Georgia
(1.6 million), Illinois (1.2 million),North Carolina (1.2 million),
Maryland (1.0 million) and Virginia (1.0 million).
- The projections indicate the largest number of voting-age Hispanics
will reside in California (7.0 million), Texas (4.0 million), New
York (1.8 million) and Florida (1.8 million).
- States with the largest number of Asians and Pacific Islanders,
according to the projections, will be California (3.1 million), New
York (789,000), Hawaii (559,000), Texas (447,000) and New Jersey
(375,000).
Regions:
- The South is projected to have the largest voting-age population
(73 million), followed by the Midwest (47 million), West
(46 million) and Northeast (40 million).
- Between November 1996 and November 2000, the South is projected to
have the greatest gain in voting-age population (4 million),
followed by the West (3 million), Midwest (1 million) and the
Northeast (less than 1 million).
Age:
- By November 2000, about 40 percent of the voting-age population
will be ages 25 to 44.
- People 65 and over who historically have high rates of voter
participation are expected to number 35 million (17 percent of the
total voting-age population).
- Since the 1996 presidential election, the 45- to 64-year-old
population will have increased about 14 percent and 18- to
24-year-olds will have increased by about8 percent. Little change
is expected in the 25- to 44-year-old and 65 and over age groups.
Race and Hispanic origin:
- Nationally, the voting-age population is projected to include
74 percent White non-Hispanics, 12 percent African Americans,
4 percent Asians and Pacific Islanders and about 1 percent American
Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts. The Hispanic origin population
may comprise about 10 percent of the total.
- The voting-age populations of Hispanics and of Asians and Pacific
Islanders are expected to be 16 percent greater in November 2000
than in November 1996; however, about 2 out of 5 voting-age
Hispanics and Asians and Pacific Islanders are not U.S. citizens.
In the last presidential election, 66 percent of the voting-age population
reported they were registered, and 54 percent said they voted, according
to data collected by the Census Bureau in the November 1996 Current
Population Survey. The actual voting-age turnout for the 1996 presidential
election, as reported by the Clerk of the U.S. Congress, was 49 percent.
-X-
Projections of the Voting-Age Population by State: 1996 and 2000
(Numbers in thousands)
Population Percent
1996 2000 Increase Change
United States. . . . . .196,789 205,814 9,025 4.6
Alabama. . . . . . . . . .3,221 3,333 112 3.5
Alaska. . . . . . . . . . . 419 430 11 2.6
Arizona. . . . . . . . . .3,245 3,625 380 11.7
Arkansas. . . . . . . . . 1,852 1,929 77 4.2
California. . . . . . . .23,002 24,873 1,871 8.1
Colorado. . . . . . . . . 2,837 3,067 230 8.1
Connecticut. . . . . . . .2,475 2,499 24 1.0
Delaware. . . . . . . . . . 552 582 30 5.4
District of Columbia. . . 428 411 -17 -4.0
Florida. . . . . . . . . 11,078 11,774 696 6.3
Georgia. . . . . . . . . .5,420 5,893 473 8.7
Hawaii. . . . . . . . . . . 886 909 23 2.6
Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . .845 921 76 9.0
Illinois. . . . . . . . . 8,787 8,983 196 2.2
Indiana. . . . . . . . . .4,340 4,448 108 2.5
Iowa. . . . . . . . . . . 2,126 2,165 39 1.8
Kansas. . . . . . . . . . 1,902 1,983 81 4.3
Kentucky. . . . . . . . . 2,918 2,993 75 2.6
Louisiana. . . . . . . . .3,129 3,255 126 4.0
Maine. . . . . . . . . . . .941 968 27 2.9
Maryland. . . . . . . . . 3,799 3,925 126 3.3
Massachusetts. . . . . . .4,652 4,749 97 2.1
Michigan. . . . . . . . . 7,207 7,358 151 2.1
Minnesota. . . . . . . . .3,415 3,547 132 3.9
Mississippi. . . . . . . .1,960 2,047 87 4.4
Missouri. . . . . . . . . 3,984 4,105 121 3.0
Montana. . . . . . . . . . .648 668 20 3.1
Nebraska. . . . . . . . . 1,208 1,234 26 2.2
Nevada. . . . . . . . . . 1,199 1,390 191 15.9
New Hampshire. . . . . . . 869 911 42 4.8
New Jersey. . . . . . . . 6,042 6,245 203 3.4
New Mexico. . . . . . . . 1,214 1,263 49 4.0
New York. . . . . . . . .13,606 13,805 199 1.5
North Carolina. . . . . . 5,501 5,797 296 5.4
North Dakota. . . . . . . . 476 477 1 0.2
Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . 8,332 8,433 101 1.2
Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . 2,427 2,531 104 4.3
Oregon. . . . . . . . . . 2,404 2,530 126 5.2
Pennsylvania. . . . . . . 9,153 9,155 2 0.0
Rhode Island. . . . . . . . 751 753 2 0.3
South Carolina. . . . . . 2,802 2,977 175 6.2
South Dakota. . . . . . . . 535 543 7 1.3
Tennessee. . . . . . . . 4,007 4,221 214 5.3
Texas. . . . . . . . . . 13,643 14,850 1,207 8.8
Utah. . . . . . . . . . . 1,350 1,465 115 8.5
Vermont. . . . . . . . . . .442 460 18 4.1
Virginia. . . . . . . . . 5,066 5,263 197 3.9
Washington. . . . . . . . 4,109 4,368 259 6.3
West Virginia. . . . . . .1,400 1,416 16 1.1
Wisconsin. . . . . . . . .3,838 3,930 92 2.4
Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . .347 358 11 3.2
Projections of the Voting-Age Population by Region: 1996 and 2000
(Numbers in thousands)
Population Percent
1996 2000 Increase Change
United States . . . . . . 196,789 205,814 9,025 4.6
Northeast . . . . . . . . . 38,931 39,545 614 1.6
Midwest . . . . . . . . . . 46,150 47,205 1,055 2.3
South . . . . . . . . . . . 69,203 73,197 3,994 5.8
West . . . . . . . . . . . .42,505 45,867 3,362 7.9
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