The US population reached a number dear to mathematicians on Tuesday: 314 159 265 or pi times 100 million.

"So go out and celebrate this American pi," quipped the US Census Bureau's chief demographer, Howard Hogan, in a statement marking the milestone.

"This is a once in many generations event," Hogan added in the release that reminded readers that "pi is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter."

The landmark was reached shortly after 6.29pm GMT.