Dec. 19 (UPI) — This year, the United States saw its largest population gain since before the pandemic, with states in the South leading the growth, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.
The U.S. population grew by 1.6 million people, or 0.5%, to nearly 335 million in 2023, the Census Bureau said. That’s the highest it’s been since 2018 and up from 0.4% in 2022 and 0.2% in 2021.
The vast majority of the growth happened in the South, which rose by 1.4 million residents, accounting for 87% of U.S. population growth.
“U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nation’s growth,” Kristie Wilder, a U.S. Census Bureau demographer, said in a news release.
Deaths decreased by 9% in 2023 while births decreased.
International migration added almost half a million people to the South’s population gain, while domestic migration added 706,266.
Texas and Florida added 473,453 and 365,205 people respectively, more than any other state. North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia also landed among the Top 10 states by number of residents added.
Arizona, Colorado and Utah rounded out the Top 10, bringing the total population growth among states in the West to 137,299 people.
The Midwest added 126,000 residents, or 0.2%, after two years of declining population.
The Northeast’s population fell for a third straight year, although by a smaller number. The region’s population was down by 43,330 people in 2023, compared with drops of 216,576 in 2022 and 187,054 in 2021.
Puerto Rico also saw a smaller drop in population, falling by 14,422 people in 2023, compared with 42,580 in 2022. Births declined by 4.5% and deaths increased by 2.8%, offsetting the addition of 1,872 people via migration.
