The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program (PEP) produces estimates of the population for the United States, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties, cities, towns, as well as for Puerto Rico and its municipios.

Demographic components of population change (births, deaths, and migration) are produced at the national, state, and county levels of geography. Additionally, housing unit estimates are produced for the nation, states, and counties.

The PEP annually utilizes current data on births, deaths, and migration administrative records to calculate population change since the most recent decennial census and produce a time series of estimates of the population, demographic components of change, and housing units. The annual time series of estimates begins with the most recent decennial census data and extends to the vintage year.

As each vintage of estimates includes all years since the most recent decennial census, the latest vintage of data available supersedes all previously-produced estimates for those dates.

The following estimates are produced and released:

• National, state, and county total resident population and demographic components of population change
• National resident, household, resident plus Armed Forces overseas, civilian, and civilian noninstitutionalized populations by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin
• State and county resident population by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin
• Puerto Rico Commonwealth and municipio total resident population and demographic components of population change
• Puerto Rico Commonwealth and municipio resident population by age and sex
• Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area total resident population and demographic components of population change (Note: metro and micro areas are composed of one or more whole counties or equivalent entities. Producing metro and micro area population estimates involves the aggregation of the appropriate county-level population estimates.)
• City, town, and other subcounty area total resident population
• National, state, and county housing units

These estimates are used in federal funding allocations, as survey controls, as denominators for vital rates and per capita time series, and as indicators of recent demographic changes.

For more information on population, go to the Census Survey Explorer to see what other surveys and programs are available on this topic. For additional local, world and country population estimates information, try our International Data Base Tool or data.census.gov.