South Leads as US Posts Biggest Population Growth Since 2018

Article originally posted on CoStar on December 21, 2023

The United States added more than 1.6 million people during the year ended July 1 — the highest annual growth in five years — with the South making the biggest gains while several states in the West also saw significant population boosts.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau data showed the number of annual deaths declining. The bureau also reported that international immigration and migration between states reverted to patterns not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The bureau said 42 states and the District of Columbia posted population gains during the past year, up from 31 states and D.C. in the prior 12 months.

“Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the bureau’s population division, said in a Dec. 19 report.

The government said expansion in the South, now the nation’s most populous region, accounted for 87% of U.S. population growth in 2023. That region added more than 1.4 million residents to bring its total population to 130,125,290 as of July 1, with growth led by states including Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia.

Texas posted the nation’s largest numeric gain in population during the past year with 473,453, followed by Florida’s 365,205. South Carolina had the biggest annual percentage gain at 1.7%, followed by Florida’s 1.6%

Several Western states shared in the growth as that region gained a total of 137,299 people during the past year, with numeric gains led by Arizona, Colorado and Utah as Idaho led that region for percentage growth. California, Oregon and Hawaii continued to lose population but at a slower pace than the prior year.

The Northeast’s population declined 43,330 for the year ended July 1, much smaller than declines of the prior two years, as New York and Pennsylvania were the only states in that region showing population drops.

Census Bureau researchers said the Midwest posted a moderate gain of 0.2% for the year, adding just over 126,000 people after two straight years of decline. “The Midwest’s population rebounded due to a lower rate of outmigration to other regions, increased international migration, a slowdown in population loss in Illinois, and growth in Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio,” the bureau report said.