For the first time since 2004, Rhode Island's population has increased according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As of July first, there were 12-hundred more people in the state than the previous year. The estimated population is a little over 1,051,500. Population numbers are used to disburse federal funding and determine the number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The state is getting closer to possibly losing one of it’s house seats.