ATLANTA — Georgia's population has swelled to nearly 9.7 million, boosting its representation in Congress, numbers released by the U.S. Census show.
The increase of more than 1.5 million people — up from nearly 8.2 million in 2000 — means the state picks up a seat in the House of Representatives, raising Georgia's House delegation to 14 members. Numbers from the 2010 census were announced Tuesday, including the official U.S. population, which totaled more than 308 million people.
The census counted every person living in the U.S. on April 1. It's mandated by the Constitution to determine how to divide the seats in the House among the 50 states. The population grew in the South and West and declined in the Midwest and Northeast.