Immigration bounces back. spurring growth
California is still the nation’s most populous at 38.9 million residents
Immigration powered population gains in the United States for a second year in a row and — coupled with a drop in the number of deaths from the depths of the CO- to decline without immi- VID-19 pandemic — caused gration since deaths will an uptick in the U.S. growth be outpacing births by the rate in 2023, according to late 2030s. estimates released Tuesday “The immigration piece by the U.S. Census Bureau. is going to be the main
California was still the source of growth in the future,” nation’s most populous Frey said. state, with 38.9 million While low by historical residents, though it lost standards, 2023’s halfpercent more than 75,000 residents growth rate was a this year. The decline was slight uptick from the 0.4% an improvement from the rate last year and the less more than 113,000-person than 0.2% increase in 2021. drop last year. Texas was There were about the second most populous 300,000 fewer deaths this state with 30.5 million residents. year compared with a year earlier. That helped double
The United States added the natural increase to 1.6 million people, more more than 500,000 people than two-thirds of which in 2023, contributing to came from international the largest U.S. population migration, bringing the gain since 2018, according nation’s population total to estimates that measure to 334.9 million people. change from mid-2022 to Population gains or losses mid-2023. The population come from births outpacing increased in 42 states, up deaths, or vice versa, along from last year’s 31 states. with migration. The vast majority of
After immigration declined growth, 87%, came from the in the latter half of South, a region the Census last decade and dropped Bureau defines as stretching even lower amid pandemic from Texas to Maryland restrictions at the start of and Delaware. But the concentration this decade, the number of growth seen of immigrants last year during the height of the bounced back to almost 1 pandemic in Texas, Florida, million people. The trend North Carolina and Georgia continued this year, growing diminished in 2023 as to 1.1 million people, other states saw declines the highest number of immigrants in deaths and growth from in more than two immigration. decades, according to Census “We peaked in the movement Bureau figures compiled of people to those Sun by William Frey, a demographer Belt hotshots,” Frey had at The Brookings said. “It’s tapering off a little Institution. bit.”
It is a sign of things to South Carolina’s 1.7% come in this century, as the growth rate topped all U.S. population is projected other states, and its population
ORLANDO, FLA. »
rose by more than 90,000 residents. More than 90% of the growth came from domestic migration, or people moving from another U.S. state to South Carolina. Without domestic and international migration, the Palmetto State would have lost population in 2023 with almost 1,300 more deaths than births.
Florida had the nexthighest growth rate at 1.6%, adding more than 365,000 residents. That was also the second-highest growth in terms of raw numbers. Only Texas surpassed it, gaining more than 473,000 people. More people moved to Florida than any other’s U.S. state this year, with the almost 373,000 movers about evenly split between domestic and international. Significantly fewer residents died in Florida compared to last year, leading to a natural decrease of only around 7,600 people.
Of the 50 states, New York had the biggest rate of population decline, losing 0.5%.
It also recorded the largest decline in pure numbers, with a drop of almost 102,000 residents, although it marks a much smaller decline than last year’s 180,000-person drop. The almost 74,000 international arrivals and the state’s natural increase of more than 41,000 residents couldn’t offset the almost 217,000 New Yorkers who departed the state from mid-2022 to mid-2023.