The US Census Bureau pegs the city's population at 951,270, down 7.5% from the 1,027,974 reported in the 1990 census when the city experienced a 14.6% drop from 1980. In 1980, the city saw a 20.5% drop in population from the 1970 census.

"While I am disappointed the population numbers released by the Census Bureau indicate our city's population is just below one million people, I am encouraged that the rate of decline is about half of what it was in 1990," says Mayor Dennis Archer. "Couple this fact with the more than 100 residential housing developments and $13 billion in economic development activity occurring in the city limits and I believe that by the 2010 census the decline will have been reversed altogether.

"I want to thank everyone who filled out their census form and who worked on the census campaign," Archer adds. "My only concern now is having the census bureau adopt census sampling to insure that the appropriate amount of funding for Federal entitlement programs and grants are able to reach the people who need help the most."