Year 2000 Population Center of the USA, Missouri

The National Geodetic Survey calculates the Mean Population Center of the nation after each national census, conducted once every ten years. The 2000 census determined the center of population to be near this point, at Edgar Springs, Missouri, and a small park was established. In 2010, a new center of population was calculated 23.45 miles west southwest, near Plato, Missouri, and a monument was erected there. At this rate, the population center is likely to remain in Missouri for a while, moving slowly towards the southwest, as more people settle in the sunbelt of the southwest.