The Northern Marianas's population of 53,883 as of the 1st of April 2010 is now the smallest among all U.S. states and territories, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
The CNMI had a population of 69,221 in 2000, higher than American Samoa's population of 57,291 at the time.
Ten years later, American Samoa has outranked the CNMI in terms of population.
American Samoa's population decreased by only 3.1 percent to 55,519 compared to the CNMI's 53,883.
A 22.2-percent decrease in the CNMI's population was mainly a result of the demise of the garment industry which used to employ thousands of workers from Asian countries and a general economic decline.
Guam has the third lowest population among territories with 159,358 in 2010, a 2.9-percent increase from 154,805 in 2000.
The U.S. Virgin Islands' population is 106,405, a 2-percent decrease from 108,612 in 2000.
Puerto Rico's population is at 3,725,789, a 2.2-percent drop from 3,808,610 in 2000.
