Topline
The U.S. population grew by 0.4% in 2022, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, suggesting recovery from the nation’s lowest rate of growth on record (0.1%) in 2021.
The U.S. population grew by 0.4% in 2022.
Key Facts
Florida was the fastest-growing state for the first time since 1957 (1.9%) by adding 444,484 new residents, while New York experienced the largest decline (0.9%).
Texas was the largest-gaining state (470,708) and experienced substantial gains from domestic and international migration, joining California as the only two states with more than 30 million people.
The South was the fastest-growing region in the U.S., increasing its population by 1.1%, joining the West (0.2%) as the only two regions to experience growth.
Populations in the Northeast and Midwest declined by 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively.
Puerto Rico’s population decreased by 1.3%, as the bureau notes its population decline resulted from international migration and deaths outnumbering births.
Domestic migration—the movement of people between states—accounted for the most significant population changes, according to the bureau, as more people moved to Florida (318,855), Texas (230,961) and North Carolina (99,796) and out of California (343,230), New York (299,557) and Illinois (141,656) than any other.
Big Number
1,256,003. That’s how much the U.S. population grew this year, according to the bureau, adding to a total population of 333,287,557. This is a 219% increase over last year’s gain of 392,665.
Crucial Quote
Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, noted the “sizeable uptick in population growth” is a result of a “rebound in net international migration coupled with the largest year-over-year increase in total births since 2007.”
Key Background
The Census Bureau releases annual results from its Population Estimates Program, which analyzes data on births, deaths and migration, to calculate population change in the U.S. Subsequent results estimating populations by demographic are released the following year, according to the bureau. The U.S. had recorded average growth of more than 2 million people per year prior to the pandemic, the bureau added, but decreased fertility rates and declining net international migration resulted in record-low growth rates between 2019 and 2021.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2022/12/22/florida-and-texas-led-the-nation-in-population-growth-this-year—while-new-york-had-largest-decline/