The U.S. Has a New Center: Hartville, Missouri

The center cannot hold.

1 minute read

November 18, 2021, 12:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


A map showing the location of Hartville, Missouri.

SevenMaps / Shutterstock

The U.S. Census Bureau this week announced the new center of population for the United States s a location near Hartville, a town of about 600 people in central southern Missouri.

The new center of population balance for the country is based on the 2020 Census population of 331.4 million, according to a Census Bureau press release announcing the change. The tradition of calculating the center of the country's population dates back to 1790, when the center was located in Kent County, Maryland, 23 miles east of Baltimore. The movement of the center across the decades tracks the migration of the U.S. population south and west.

The Census Bureau also calculates centers of population for each state, county, census tract and census block group, all of which can be found at the Center of Population webpage.

An article by Summer Ballantine for the Associated Press provides news coverage of the announcement.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 in U.S. Census Bureau

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 10, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

A line of white wind turbines surrounded by wheat and soybean fields with a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal

The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

April 15 - Fast Company

Red and white Caltrain train.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification

The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

April 15 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

View up at brick Catholic church towers and modern high-rise buildings.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation

Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.

April 15 - NBC Dallas