Population growth is greatest in these US states
What are the reasons for the population growth in the states that have increased since the pandemic? Is the decrease in population in some states due to people moving away or decreased birth rates? What are the potential implications of the population changes for the affected states and the country?
The United States has diverse populations, with movement and growth occurring across its vast landscape. Understanding the ebb and flow of these trends can provide valuable insights into economic opportunities, social dynamics, and infrastructure needs.
Way.com looks at Census Bureau data to see which states are losing or gaining the most people.
Top 10 states with the highest population increase since 2022
- Texas 473,453
- Florida 365,205
- North Carolina 139,526
- Georgia 116,077
- South Carolina 90,600
- Tennessee 77,513
- Arizona 65,660
- Virginia 65,660
- Colorado 36,571
- Utah 36,498
Top 10 states with the fastest population growth rate
- South Carolina 1.7%
- Florida 1.6%
- Texas 1.6%
- Idaho 1.3%
- North Carolina 1.3%
- Delaware 1.2%
- District of Columbia 1.2%
- Tennessee 1.1%
- Utah 1.1%
- Georgia 1.1%
Dixie delight: South steals the spotlight with population growth
Despite being the most populous region in the country presently, the South saw 87% of the growth between July 2022 and July 2023. According to the Census Bureau, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the only region that continued to have population growth.
With over 1.4 million new residents over the past year, the region's population now exceeds 130 million, a rise of 1.1%. Through internal migration, roughly 700,000 individuals moved from one region to another in the South. Over 500,000 individuals relocated to the South via foreign migration.
As reported by The Hill, population gains of 1% or more were observed in Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Population booms across US, but plummets in Big Apple
Because fewer people died and immigration levels dropped to what they were before the pandemic, the population grew nationally in the previous year. The Census Bureau reports population growth in all but eight states this year.
New York was the most severely affected, losing around 102,000 inhabitants.
Moreover, the following seven states have had a decrease in population this year, as reported by the Census Bureau:
- California
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Pennsylvania
- Oregon
- Hawaii
- West Virginia
Although almost all states experienced growth this year, Texas witnessed the most annual rise in population, adding over 473,400 new residents. Adding more than 365,200 residents, Florida was not far behind. In fact, the fastest-growing states were South Carolina and Florida, with growth of 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively.
More states saw population growth in 2023 than there have been since the pandemic's beginning. At the state level, there was a population rise in 42 states and the District of Columbia. In 2022, 31 states and the District of Columbia isaw growth, and in 2021 34 states did.
The growing number of states seeing a population increase is a result of decreased net domestic outmigration for some states and overall national patterns of deaths and net foreign migration going back to pre-COVID levels.
California and New York: Exodus or evolving demographics?
It is well known that California lost two federal seats in the 2020 Census due to population decline. Like most states, its population was rounded up as part of the new count.
While California's high cost of living is one explanation for this, changes in immigration in the U.S. have also played a big role in the state's ongoing population loss. This is because more immigrants are choosing to live in a wider range of U.S. cities, including smaller ones, just like domestic migrants do.
This is also true for New York, which, according to the most recent Census, is the state that is fastest shrinking in the country.
New York lost 0.5% of its residents between July 2022 and June 2023. Since 2016, the last Census showed that the state's population had been going down. Since 2016, New York's population dropped by only 0.1%. That number rose to 0.4% in 2019 and 0.5% in 2023.
