U.S. Census - 8 of 10 Americans live in urban areas.

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that a great majority of Americans live in urban areas and that bewteen 2000 and 2010.

The report also found that the nation’s urban population grew by 12.1 percent, faster than the nation’s overall growth rate of 9.7 percent for the same period.

Urban areas — defined as densely developed residential, commercial and other nonresidential areas — now account for 80.7 percent of the U.S. population, up from 79.0 percent in 2000. While rural population also grew by a modest amount from 2000 to 2010, it continued to decline as a percentage of the national population.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.