The U.S. Census estimates released this week shows Nebraska’s population topped 1.9 million residents for the first time in history. David Drozd is the research coordinator at the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska – Omaha and says the state’s population growth rate was substantial for 2016.

Drozd says the figures are looking good that Nebraska will retain three Congressional seats.

Drozd says Nebraska is always in the top five when it comes to birth rates but in recent numbers the components comparing birth and deaths, Nebraska was only one of four states that saw an improvement in that natural increase.