## US Population Soars to Highest Single-Year Increase Since 2001
The United States experienced its largest single-year population increase since 2001, adding approximately 3.3 million residents between mid-2023 and mid-2024, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. This surge, significantly higher than the 2.8 million increase in 2023 and the 1.9 million in 2022, is largely attributed to a 21% rise in net immigration.
Texas and Florida remained the top growth drivers, collectively adding over one million people and accounting for nearly a third of the national increase. This growth encompasses births, deaths, immigration, and domestic migration. The impact of immigration is particularly notable, with the influx of newcomers completely or almost entirely responsible for population growth in 18 states across the country.
William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, highlights the significance of this trend: “This points up the importance of immigration, not just to a couple of big states but to a broad swath of our country. It’s going to be very welcome in a lot of places that would not be gaining many people or [would be] losing people because of lower fertility and higher deaths.” Immigration increases were observed in every state, ranging from approximately 69,000 in Florida and California to a few hundred in states like Montana and Wyoming. The percentage growth in the immigrant population varied considerably, from 19% in Alaska to 36% in Montana.
This population shift has significant political implications. States like California and Illinois, which experienced population losses earlier in the decade, saw growth that could mitigate projected losses in congressional representation after the 2030 census. Kimball Brace, a redistricting expert, suggests that continued growth could reduce California’s House seat loss from four to three, and Illinois’s from two to one. Florida’s growth, while slowing slightly, may also result in one fewer seat gained than initially predicted. Brace notes, “Clearly immigration is coming into play—a couple years ago you had people talking about California going off the deep end [with population loss] and now it doesn’t look so deep.”
California ranked third nationally in new residents, gaining approximately 233,000, a result of both immigration and domestic migration. North Carolina (165,000) and New York (130,000) followed. Other states showing growth included Illinois (68,000) and Louisiana (9,700). Florida and Texas led in percentage change, growing by approximately 2%, followed by Utah (1.8%), South Carolina and Nevada (both 1.7%), and Idaho and North Carolina (both 1.5%). Only West Virginia, Vermont, and Mississippi experienced minor population declines.
Regional growth patterns offer further insight. In Texas, Houston, Austin, and Dallas saw the addition of nearly 40,000 new housing units, likely contributing to future population growth. Collin County, a Dallas suburb, also experienced rapid growth, adding over 16,000 new units last year and almost 64,000 since 2020. Florida’s growth was concentrated in Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. In New York, increased housing construction in New York City helped offset losses from residents moving out of state.
While Texas, the Carolinas, Florida, and Tennessee attracted significant numbers of domestic migrants, these numbers were lower than in previous years, possibly due to high interest rates and housing costs. A surplus of births over deaths also contributed to population growth in several states, including New York, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.
*By Tim Henderson, Minnesota Reformer, December 27, 2024*