Texas population growth: State gained most new residents from 2022 to 2023
HOUSTON - Texas gained more new residents year to year than any other U.S. state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The data shows the Lone Star State gained 473,453 more people from July 2022 to July 2023.
Florida, in second place, gained 365,205 residents, and third-place North Carolina gained 139,526 residents.
While Texas had the largest numeric change in the nation, the Census data shows that the two fastest-growing states in 2023 were Florida and Nebraska, which grew by 1.7% and 1.6% respectively.
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File photo. Live Oak trees line the sides of the Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool at Hermann Park in downtown Houston, Texas. (Photo by: Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
According to the bureau, more states gained population in 2023 than in any other year since the start of the pandemic. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia saw population increases.
The bureau says this year's national population growth of 0.5% is still historically low. However, there was still a slight uptick from the 0.4% increase in 2022 and the 0.2% increase in 2021.
"U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nation’s growth," said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. "Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths. Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018."
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Still, the bureau says eight states saw their population fall in 2023. That includes the country’s largest state – California – which lost 75,423 residents. Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and West Virginia also saw a decrease.
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