Census places Oklahoma population at 3.75 million

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - New census figures show Oklahoma's population grew 8.7 percent over the last decade to 3.75 million people. The state's growth rate was among the lowest in the region over the past 10 years. But it was enough for the state to retain its five House seats in Congress.

The U.S. Census Bureau released the population figures Tuesday. The once-a-decade government count of the nation's population will be used to reapportion the 435 House seats among the 50 states to make them roughly equal in population. Oklahoma lost a congressional seat when census figures were released by the government 10 years ago. The figures revealed that the state's population had not grown as fast as other states. Loss of the seat complicated the redistricting process and led to a lawsuit.

Oklahoma's official population is 3,751,351, which ranks the state 28th in the United States among all states.  In 2000, Oklahoma's population ranked 27th in the U.S.  Texas was the biggest winner in the new census.  The state's population rose more than 20% and Texas will gain four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.