Begin this exciting week of geography learning by exploring center of population resources.

Statistics in Schools brings subjects to life using real-world Census Bureau data to create materials for use year after year at all grade levels. Happy Geography Awareness Week! The Nation's Center of Population is Unveiled Today, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Hartville, Missouri as the "center of population" for the United States! Begin this exciting week of geography learning by exploring center of population resources. Students can have fun viewing a video on the topic, interacting with a visualization, and reading an article to understand what is meant by "U.S. center of population" and how it has shifted through the decades. The center of population is based on the 2020 Census count of everyone who lived in the United States on April 1, 2020. Since 1980, that center has been in various locations in Missouri. In 2010, the center was near Plato, a small town about 75 miles northeast of Springfield. The center of population is the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless, and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if everyone weighed the same. The point is officially marked with a survey monument by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS), the U.S. government authoritative source for precise latitude, longitude, and elevation measurements. Since 1990, the Census Bureau and NGS have placed the center of population monument in a publicly accessible location near the actual center of population. Knowing the center of population helps geographers, demographers, and others quantify how fast and in what direction Americans are moving. Learn More More Geography Resources Continue commemorating Geography Awareness Week with Statistics in Schools' elementary, middle, and high school resources designed to help teach students about the United States and its territories, demographic characteristics of our communities, and how the Census Bureau collects geographical data. Visit our Geography Worksheets page for a full menu of our available resources. Where's Gina? This activity has elementary school students follow online clues in search of Gina the geographer, who loves to travel and has escaped to a secret place. Students use a map, clues about Gina's location, weather, landmarks, and our State Facts for Students data tool to try to track down Gina and bring her back to school. Where could she be? Learn More Getting to know you. Our "Getting to Know Your Neighbor" activity is geared at helping middle school students discover more about the population of their community. They use our Quickfacts data tool to identify demographic characteristics of people in their local area, and then create a visual representation of the data they discover. What a great way for kids to learn about their community! Learn More Geography matters. Our "What Role Does Geography Play?" activity is aimed at high school students, teaching them cool stuff like how the U.S. Census Bureau organizes space geographically, different types of geographical entities, and how geographic data is used. Learn More Share This About Statistics in Schools We provide more than 200 activities and resources for teaching and learning with real-life data. Enhance and invigorate learning in many subjects while educating your students about the value and everyday use of statistics. Visit census.gov/schools to learn more and explore standards-aligned, classroom ready activities.

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