The Census Bureau has sent out its Christmastime gift to its millions — or thousands, or dozens — of fans across the United States: the official Census estimates of the population of each state as of July 1, 2014.

The numbers shouldn’t be regarded as etched in stone: When the head count for the 2010 Census was tabulated, it turned out that the estimates for some states in the later years of the 2000-10 decade had been off by a noticeable margin, and that will probably be the case as this decade goes on as well.

Recommended Stories

Most U.S. 21st century population growth came in just 27 metro areas

Census data show that Republicans govern better than Democrats

Voters flee blue states for red states but still want blue-state policies