2008 State Population Estimates

[Kevinstat]

When the block-level census redistricting data is released in the spring of 2011, someone ought to divide Wyoming (the state with the smallest population as of the 2000 census and most likely now) into 386 hypothetical congressional districts (the most any state could have with 435 U.S. Representatives and 49 other states that all have to have at least one Representative) just for the fun of it.  I mean, what if some error is found in the census papers for every other state that requires their resident populations to all be recorded as zero?    I wonder how many 1/386ths of Wyoming the Democrats could be competitive in, particularly if the Republican-dominated state government engaged in partisan redistricting?  The Democrats would definitely start championing the Maine-Nebraska method of electoral vote allocation in this surreal scenario.

[Kevinstat]

When will the 2008 census estimates be released?  The Census Bureau's press release announcing the highlights of the 2007 estimates was released at 12:01 a.m. EST Thursday, December 27, 2007, and Polidata's press release with their 2010 apportionment projections was embargoed until 12:00 a.m. that same date.  See also muon2's Census Estimates for 2007 -> 2010 Apportionment thread started at 1 a.m. on that date.  Will all this happen on the 27th again this year, or will it happen on a different date?  (muon2 started his 2005 and 2006 on December 22 of those respective years, with the Census Bureau's press release in 2005 at least being released on 12:01 a.m. on that day.)

[Kevinstat]

Michigan had a population decline between July 2006 and 2007 (-30.000) but I expect that Michigan's population will only have declined slightly between July 2007 and 2008 or even stagnated.

Who would want to stay in Michigan, in this economy?!?!

It might be that people in Michigan feel that opportunities aren't much better elsewhere, that the whole country's in the economic crapper, so why move from one location in the toilet bowl to another.

[Kevinstat]

Have the 2008 Census Bureau estimates for counties and county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships in Maine, although a lot of unorganized minor civil divisions are grouped together) been released yet?  If so, where could I find them?