Editor’s Note: Two states in the South, Louisiana and West Virginia, saw population losses over the last year. A previous version of this story included incorrect information.
(The Hill) — The South led the country in population growth in the last year, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau found, but not every state saw an increase.
The South is already the nation’s most populated region but accounted for 87% of the overall growth from July 2022 to July 2023. It was the only region to maintain population growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the report found.
In the last year, the region added more than 1.4 million residents, a 1.1% increase, for a total population of more than 130 million people. The growth can be attributed to migration patterns, the report said.
About 700,000 people came to the South through domestic migration, moving from one region to another. More than 500,000 people moved to the South through international migration.
The only states in the region that saw losses over the last year were Louisiana and West Virginia. Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all saw population increases of 1% or more, the report found.
The Midwest saw a moderate gain, a 0.2% increase, in population last year after two consecutive years of decline. In previous years, the Midwest saw population loss in Illinois and other areas due to higher migration to other regions, which steadied this year.
The West also expanded, mostly due to higher international migration and fewer deaths than previous years. Alaska and New Mexico gained population after previous losses while California, Oregon, and Hawaii all saw population loss over the last year but at “a more modest pace” than before.
The Northeast was the only region that experienced a decline in population in 2023, but this decline was still considerably smaller than in years prior, the report found.
Which states grew – and which shrank?
Nationally, the population increased last year as a result of fewer deaths and immigration returning to pre-pandemic levels. All but eight states have seen their populations increase this year, according to the Census Bureau.
The hardest hit among them was New York, which saw a decline in nearly 102,000 residents.
Here are the seven other states that suffered population losses this year and the decline they saw, according to the Census Bureau:
- California: 75,423
- Illinois: 32,826
- Louisiana: 14,274
- Pennsylvania: 10,408
- Oregon: 6,021
- Hawaii: 4,261
- West Virginia: 3,964
Many of these states have been seeing population losses since 2020, but declines have slowed as of late, the Census reports.
While nearly every state grew this year, Texas saw the largest population increase of the year at more than 473,400 new residents. Florida wasn’t far behind at over 365,200 people. Florida and South Carolina were the fastest growing this year with increases of 1.6% and 1.7%, respectively.
Here are the 10 states that saw the largest increase in people from July 2022 to July 2023, according to the Census Bureau:
- Texas: 473,453
- Florida: 365,205
- North Carolina: 139,526
- Georgia: 116,077
- South Carolina: 90,600
- Tennessee: 77,513
- Arizona: 65,660
- Virginia: 36,599
- Colorado: 36,571
- Utah: 36,498
And these are the 10 states that saw the fastest rate of growth:
- 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%
Despite large swings in population, the 10 most populous states in the U.S. remain largely the same. California is still at the top, with a population of over 38.9 million people as of July. Texas ranks second at 30.5 million people.
Florida is the only other state with a population of more than 20 million people at 22.6 million, while New York is close behind at 19.5 million.
Rounding out the list are Pennsylvania (12.9 million), Illinois (12.5 million), Ohio (11.8 million), Georgia (11 million), North Carolina (10.8 million), and Michigan (10 million).
