we get more now from nbc's kristin dahlgren. >> 308,745,538 persons. >> reporter: for the first time america's population has topped 300 million. and again, the 2010 census shows a shift from the north and east where states saw losses or minimal gains to the south and west where populations are booming. >> this is the very first decade in our history where the west region is actually larger than the midwest. >> michigan was the only state to lose residents. louisiana, the state in the south to show the slowest growth, perhaps a result of hurricane katrina. but the biggest impact may not be in population but in politics. results are used to reapportion 435 seats in the house of representatives. these states lose seats. new york and highway dropped two each, while these pick up representatives. texas with a gain of four. results were delivered to the president tuesday morning, and like the rest of us -- >> he was obviously interested in his own state, illinois which actually lost a seat in the house of representatives. >> reporter: for the president, though, it could mean more. democra

kristin dahlgren has more from washington. kristin, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. this year is great for pro crafton natures. big retailers, macy's, toy stores staying open 24 hours a day leading up to the christmas holiday and a lot of people taking at advantage of that. consumer reports did a survey. turns out about 17% of americans haven't even started holiday shopping before this week. a lot more people, though, have been out in stores. americans spent about 15 hours per year on holiday shopping. they're also spending more this year. last weekend, the big weekend before christmas, they spent about $19 billion. retailers expecting sales to be up. the best year since the recession started. also, online shopping up 15.4% this year. a huge year for e-commerce. another big day for e-commerce expected to be on christmas when people buy all the apps, ereaders, things like that, they get on christmas, lynn. >> thanks, kristen dahlgren, have a good one. >> reporter: you, too. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in utah, a power outa

. >> kristin dahlgren is live at tyson's center mall. good morning to you. i want to talk about the hours, the deals, the foot traffic. what are you seeing along those lines there? >> hey, good morning, alex. already a busy morning here at tyson's corner. a lot of shoppers out. that's because a lot of people haven't finished their christmas shopping yet. keep in mind that there is -- with christmas falling on a saturday this year, there's one less weekend for people to be shopping. retailers know that. that's why they're still giving people big discounts. a lot of electronics marked down. we've heard between 50 and 90% off some electronics. those deals not expected to stick around all the way until christmas. some of them ending on sunday. as far as closing those, those deals expected to continue to get even better. now, sales have been great for retailers so far this year. up about 3% over last year. that's higher than expected. that's expected to continue as we go through this season. americans will spend about $451.4 billion on their holiday shopping this

kristin dahlgren is live in washington, d.c. with the good news. >> good morning to you, marla. we talk about shopping this time of year, but americans also opening up their hearts and pocket books for those in need. we are talking about charitable giving from causes.com, an online platform for social activisms. 85% have given to a charity in the past year. that really increases during the holidays. people are three times more likely to give to a charity. san francisco area doing great. they are one of the best and during the holidays, there is a 56% bump up in how much is given to charities. really doing well there. californians donated 53% more during the holidays. the top reasons is giving because of a friend or family member is collecting money. a couple of other reasons people are giving to help the local community or aid in a natural disaster to help people suffering for illnesses and just to feel good during the holidays. where are they giving? most of that money going to religion. $109 billion a year to help foundations. overall nationwide,

nbc's kristin dahlgren has more from washington. >>> at nation's mall -- >> it's a madhouse. >> it's beginning to look a lot like christmas used to. with sales that almost resemble the prerecession days. on the final weekend before christmas, stores across the country were packed. >> tremendous volume. the weather cooperate skptd parking lots of jammed. >> the mall of america broke records. >> the biggest since we opened. 18 years. >> shoppers everywhere seem willing to open their wallets for the right price. >> buy one, get one free and 40% off. >> retailers have done a good job managing the merchandising levels and putting the prices where they need to be to keep people excited. >> the national retail federation raised estimates and predicting sales up 3.3% over last year. >> it's the top shopping days of the year. they are occurring right now. >>> so far clothing sales are up 9.8%. jewelry 2.6% while books, music, hoby and sporting goods, 2.3%. it's also the busiest day of the year at the post office. 800 million pieces of mail head out to homes across the country. with less than

kristin dahlgren is back with the good news. >>> people also opening their hearts and pocket books andound. we see this bump up in giving during the holiday season. people about 34% more likely to give during the holiday season and in san francisco in the actual city, there is a 56% increase in giving during the holiday season. in california there is 53% bump up in giving during the holiday season. people really doing well. the top reasons they give, 45% of californians say they give because a friend or family member is asking for money for a charity. also to help out a local community and help those who are suffering from disease and just to feel good in the holidays. the top recipients of the generous donations are religious organizations that get $109 billion per year. education gets about 40 billion in donations and foundations dlon billion. human services $27 billion and a lot of others. that's $307.75 billion given by americans every year. back to you. >>> thank you very much, kristin. a scare outside president obama's vacation home in hawaii. a man being chased by police drove i