Today in Hartville, Missouri, the U.S. Census Bureau and NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will dedicate a commemorative survey mark, designating Hartville as the 2020 Census Center of Population. Hartville is the town closest to the point where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if everyone in the country were of identical weight.

This “center” represents the average location of where people in the United States live. The designated location is based on the 2020 Census data. 

“The 2020 Center of Population commemorative mark is a tribute to Hartville, the surveying community, and the science of geodesy,” said NGS Director Juliana Blackwell. “The commemorative mark represents the latest stop on the center of population trail, and its exact location and coordinates will be added into the National Spatial Reference System for use by surveyors, geocachers, and geospatial enthusiasts for decades to come.”

To learn more about the Center of Population project, listen to the latest the NOAA Ocean Podcast.