12/30 (LWN) The U.S. Census Bureau recently estimated that the total population of the United States increased by about 2.6 million people during 2009. This constitutes an increase of nearly one percent.

Both the birth and immigration rates contribute to the rising population. The total U.S. population is currently estimated at approximately 308 million, placing it 3rd worldwide, after India and China.

The Census Bureau will conduct a full census in 2010, yielding the first exact count of the U.S. population in ten years. Previous counts put this statistic at 281,421,906 people in 2000 and 248,709,873 in 1990.