Every 10 years since the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau has also calculated what it calls the country’s “center of population.” This is the point at which, says the Bureau, “an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if everyone were of identical weight” – in other words “the average location of where people in the United States live.” And that place is Hartville, Missouri – or, more accurately, a point 15 miles from the town.
“The center of population is officially marked,” adds the Bureau, “with a survey monument by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS), the U.S. government’s authoritative source for precise latitude, longitude and elevation measurements.”
When the results of the first Census, in 1790, were revealed, the center of population was in Kent County, Maryland, near Baltimore. Since then, it has moved steadily west, as the nation grew and people migrated. As of 1980, the location has been somewhere in Missouri. (These are the states where the population has grown the most since 1880.)
According to the Census Reporter, Hartville has a population of 547. It covers .7 square miles. Almost the entire population of the town, some 96%, is white. The town is extremely poor, with a poverty rate of 30.5%, compared to a U.S. average of about 11%. Median household income is $22,000, while the national figure is over $68,000. (See what income level is considered middle class in your state.)
Rob Tucker, the mayor of Hartville, was pleased to learn that his town had been named, as he put it, “the heart of America.” A commemorative monument will be unveiled in Hartville this spring.
The Census Bureau also calculates the population center of each state, according to the same principles. Because of the way the point is determined, the population center of Missouri isn’t Hartville, but Saint Thomas, some 80 miles to the northeast.
Click here to see the population center of every state
Alabama
> Center of population coordinates: 33°01’N, 86°45’W
> Location of center of population: Chilton County
> Nearest place to center of population: Jemison (3.3 miles away)
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Alaska
> Center of population coordinates: 61°25’N, 148°58’W
> Location of center of population: Anchorage Municipality
> Nearest place to center of population: Knik River (4.0 miles away)
Arizona
> Center of population coordinates: 33°22’N, 111°53’W
> Location of center of population: Maricopa County
> Nearest place to center of population: Tempe (3.1 miles away)
Arkansas
> Center of population coordinates: 35°12’N, 92°43’W
> Location of center of population: Conway County
> Nearest place to center of population: Morrilton (3.4 miles away)
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California
> Center of population coordinates: 35°29’N, 119°21’W
> Location of center of population: Kern County
> Nearest place to center of population: Smith Corner (4.1 miles away)
Colorado
> Center of population coordinates: 39°32’N, 105°11’W
> Location of center of population: Jefferson County
> Nearest place to center of population: Ken Caryl (4.8 miles away)
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Connecticut
> Center of population coordinates: 41°30’N, 72°53’W
> Location of center of population: New Haven County
> Nearest place to center of population: Cheshire Village (1.2 miles away)
Delaware
> Center of population coordinates: 39°20’N, 75°33’W
> Location of center of population: Kent County
> Nearest place to center of population: Smyrna (4.3 miles away)
Florida
> Center of population coordinates: 27°50’N, 81°38’W
> Location of center of population: Polk County
> Nearest place to center of population: Alturas (2.8 miles away)
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Georgia
> Center of population coordinates: 33°25’N, 83°53’W
> Location of center of population: Newton County
> Nearest place to center of population: Jackson (9.3 miles away)
Hawaii
> Center of population coordinates: 21°07’N, 157°29’W
> Location of center of population: .
> Nearest place to center of population: Maunaloa (17.7 miles away)
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Idaho
> Center of population coordinates: 44°13’N, 115°13’W
> Location of center of population: Boise County
> Nearest place to center of population: Stanley (14.4 miles away)
Illinois
> Center of population coordinates: 41°19’N, 88°22’W
> Location of center of population: Grundy County
> Nearest place to center of population: Carbon Hill (3.9 miles away)
Indiana
> Center of population coordinates: 40°09’N, 86°15’W
> Location of center of population: Boone County
> Nearest place to center of population: Sheridan (1.9 miles away)
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Iowa
> Center of population coordinates: 41°56’N, 93°02’W
> Location of center of population: Marshall County
> Nearest place to center of population: Melbourne (3.4 miles away)
Kansas
> Center of population coordinates: 38°29’N, 96°25’W
> Location of center of population: Chase County
> Nearest place to center of population: Dunlap (7.0 miles away)
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Kentucky
> Center of population coordinates: 37°50’N, 85°16’W
> Location of center of population: Washington County
> Nearest place to center of population: Chaplin (4.7 miles away)
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Louisiana
> Center of population coordinates: 30°42’N, 91°28’W
> Location of center of population: Pointe Coupee Parish
> Nearest place to center of population: New Roads (1.2 miles away)
Maine
> Center of population coordinates: 44°16’N, 69°46’W
> Location of center of population: Kennebec County
> Nearest place to center of population: Farmingdale (1.5 miles away)
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Maryland
> Center of population coordinates: 39°08’N, 76°48’W
> Location of center of population: Howard County
> Nearest place to center of population: Savage (1.2 miles away)
Massachusetts
> Center of population coordinates: 42°16’N, 71°21’W
> Location of center of population: Middlesex County
> Nearest place to center of population: Cochituate (3.7 miles away)
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Michigan
> Center of population coordinates: 42°52’N, 84°13’W
> Location of center of population: Shiawassee County
> Nearest place to center of population: Morrice (2.5 miles away)
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Minnesota
> Center of population coordinates: 45°11’N, 93°34’W
> Location of center of population: Hennepin County
> Nearest place to center of population: Rogers (0.8 miles away)
Mississippi
> Center of population coordinates: 32°35’N, 89°34’W
> Location of center of population: Scott County
> Nearest place to center of population: Lena (2.1 miles away)
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Missouri
> Center of population coordinates: 38°26’N, 92°14’W
> Location of center of population: Cole County
> Nearest place to center of population: St. Thomas (4.7 miles away)
Montana
> Center of population coordinates: 46°46’N, 111°19’W
> Location of center of population: Meagher County
> Nearest place to center of population: York (20.8 miles away)
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Nebraska
> Center of population coordinates: 41°10’N, 97°13’W
> Location of center of population: Butler County
> Nearest place to center of population: Garrison (3.1 miles away)
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> Center of population coordinates: 37°01’N, 116°10’W
> Location of center of population: Nye County
> Nearest place to center of population: Beatty (30.4 miles away)
New Hampshire
> Center of population coordinates: 43°09’N, 71°27’W
> Location of center of population: Merrimack County
> Nearest place to center of population: Suncook (1.0 miles away)
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New Jersey
> Center of population coordinates: 40°26’N, 74°25’W
> Location of center of population: Middlesex County
> Nearest place to center of population: Milltown (1.0 miles away)
New Mexico
> Center of population coordinates: 34°36’N, 106°20’W
> Location of center of population: Torrance County
> Nearest place to center of population: Punta de Agua (2.3 miles away)
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New York
> Center of population coordinates: 41°28’N, 74°35’W
> Location of center of population: Orange County
> Nearest place to center of population: Otisville (2.7 miles away)
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North Carolina
> Center of population coordinates: 35°32’N, 79°41’W
> Location of center of population: Randolph County
> Nearest place to center of population: Seagrove (6.0 miles away)
North Dakota
> Center of population coordinates: 47°20’N, 99°27’W
> Location of center of population: Wells County
> Nearest place to center of population: Sykeston (9.0 miles away)
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Ohio
> Center of population coordinates: 40°26’N, 82°48’W
> Location of center of population: Morrow County
> Nearest place to center of population: Fulton (2.4 miles away)
Oklahoma
> Center of population coordinates: 35°36’N, 96°51’W
> Location of center of population: Lincoln County
> Nearest place to center of population: Sparks (2.0 miles away)
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Oregon
> Center of population coordinates: 44°45’N, 122°35’W
> Location of center of population: Linn County
> Nearest place to center of population: Lyons (2.1 miles away)
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Pennsylvania
> Center of population coordinates: 40°27’N, 76°58’W
> Location of center of population: Dauphin County
> Nearest place to center of population: New Buffalo (0.8 miles away)
Rhode Island
> Center of population coordinates: 41°45’N, 71°27’W
> Location of center of population: Providence County
> Nearest place to center of population: Cranston (2.0 miles away)
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South Carolina
> Center of population coordinates: 34°01’N, 80°60’W
> Location of center of population: Richland County
> Nearest place to center of population: Forest Acres (1.5 miles away)
South Dakota
> Center of population coordinates: 43°59’N, 98°55’W
> Location of center of population: Jerauld County
> Nearest place to center of population: Spring Valley Colony (4.2 miles away)
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Tennessee
> Center of population coordinates: 35°49’N, 86°20’W
> Location of center of population: Rutherford County
> Nearest place to center of population: Murfreesboro (5.5 miles away)
Texas
> Center of population coordinates: 30°55’N, 97°20’W
> Location of center of population: Bell County
> Nearest place to center of population: Holland (4.6 miles away)
Utah
> Center of population coordinates: 40°23’N, 111°57’W
> Location of center of population: Utah County
> Nearest place to center of population: Saratoga Springs (3.3 miles away)
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Vermont
> Center of population coordinates: 44°06’N, 72°49’W
> Location of center of population: Washington County
> Nearest place to center of population: Waitsfield (5.6 miles away)
Virginia
> Center of population coordinates: 37°51’N, 77°46’W
> Location of center of population: Louisa County
> Nearest place to center of population: Goochland (12.7 miles away)
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Washington
> Center of population coordinates: 47°20’N, 121°38’W
> Location of center of population: King County
> Nearest place to center of population: Wilderness Rim (10.3 miles away)
West Virginia
> Center of population coordinates: 38°49’N, 80°40’W
> Location of center of population: Braxton County
> Nearest place to center of population: Burnsville (2.4 miles away)
Wisconsin
> Center of population coordinates: 43°43’N, 89°02’W
> Location of center of population: Green Lake County
> Nearest place to center of population: Markesan (2.2 miles away)
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Wyoming
> Center of population coordinates: 42°42’N, 106°59’W
> Location of center of population: Natrona County
> Nearest place to center of population: Alcova (16.3 miles away)
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