U.S. Population Center: Plato, Missouri (2020 Census)

The Official Center of Population

According to the **2020 U.S. Census**, the **mean center of population** for the United States is located near **Plato, Texas County, Missouri** — at coordinates **37.4157° N, 92.1521° W**.

What "Center of Population" Means

The point where an imaginary, flat, weightless, rigid map of the U.S. would balance perfectly if all 331.4 million residents (2020) were of identical weight. It's the **average location** of every person in the country.

Historical Trajectory (1790–2020)

Trend: Steady westward and southward march — reflecting frontier expansion, then Sun Belt growth.

Why Missouri?

• Missouri has been the "center state" since 1980.
• Population growth in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Colorado pulls south-west; but Midwest/Northeast still hold massive populations, anchoring the mean near the Missouri Ozarks.
• Texas County is rural, sparsely populated (pop ~25,000) — the center is a mathematical point, not a population cluster.

The Monument

• 2020 Commemorative Monument: Dedicated Oct 2021 at **Plato City Park** (not the exact coordinate, which is on private farmland).
• Includes plaque, map, and bench.
• Previous monuments at Edgar Springs (2000) and De Soto (1980).

Other "Centers"

• Median Center (2020): Near **Springfield, MO** — where half pop lives north, half south; half east, half west.
• Geographic Center (contiguous US): Near **Lebanon, Kansas** (1918 survey).
• Geographic Center (all 50 states): Near **Belle Fourche, South Dakota**.

Why It Matters

• Apportionment planning (House seats).
• Infrastructure investment (grid, broadband, transport).
• Market logistics (distribution centers).
• Symbolic: "The average American lives near Plato, MO."