The West has once again proved to be one of the largest growing regions of the country, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, adding this rear more than 137,000 people.
While that figure represents undeniable growth, it still came in a little lower than the gains seen in 2022, with over 157,000 new people.
The report noted that while many Western states witnessed a certain amount of outmigration to other states this year, that pattern was to a degree balanced by “somewhat higher international migration and slightly fewer deaths.”
In a pattern that has played out for the last several years, California continued to lose residents, while both Arizona and New Mexico saw population increases.
Overall, the country’s population trends have returned to what is described as “pre-pandemic norms,” adding more than 1.6 million people for a 0.5% gain. That’s a marked improvement over 2021, when the gain came in at 0.2%.
In a statement, Kirstie Wilder, a demographer for the Census Bureau’s Population Division, said both migration rates and a decrease in deaths are “driving the nation’s growth.”
“Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths,” continued Wilder. “Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018.”
The total population of the U.S. as of the end of this year is just under 334 million. In the year 2000, that figure was just north of 282 million.
The South was by far the country’s largest gainer this year, with a population increase of 1.4 million people. Gains in the Midwest were considerably more modest, with the addition of 126,000 new residents.
Reflecting an ongoing, long-range trend, the Northeast was the only region of the country to experience a decline in population. The region currently has 43,300 less people than it did last year, a decline prompted by population losses in the big states of New York and Pennsylvania.
By Garry Boulard
