The Democratic states of New York and California have placed in the top eight for largest population decreases in 2023. While four southern states - three of them Republican - (Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia) accounted for 67% of growth in 2023.
"Population decreased in eight states: California (-75,423), Hawaii (-4,261), Illinois (-32,826), Louisiana (-14,274), New York (-101,984), Oregon (-6,021), Pennsylvania (-10,408) and West Virginia (-3,964). In total, these states experienced a loss of 249,161 inhabitants during the year, in contrast to the loss of 509,789 in 2022. Although several of these states have been steadily losing population since 2020, their population decline has slowed ," explained the Census Bureau estimates.
Texas had the largest increase in the country, adding 473,453 people, followed by Florida, with 365,205 additional residents. South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the country in 2023, increasing 1.7% and 1.6% respectively.
Georgia also reached a new population threshold as it surpassed 11 million people in 2023, an increase of 116,077 people that brought the total to 11,029,227.
Similarly, the Census Bureau explained that population trends are returning to what they were before the pandemic, with a decrease in the number of deaths over the past year and the return of migration patterns not seen since 2020.
However, the office indicated that "this year's national population growth remains historically low, but shows a slight rebound compared to the 0.4% increase in 2022, and 0.2% in 2021" .
