US population growth inches higher in 2022, driven by immigration

The U.S. Census Bureau reported on Thursday that as growth began to recover from a slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the population of the United States increased in 2022 from its slowest rate on record, driven by net immigration from outside the country.

This year, the country’s population grew by 0.4 percent to 333.3 million, up from 0.1% in 2021, when the coronavirus accelerated a pattern of slower growth in previous years.

The number of people living in the United States increased by less than one million in 2021 was the lowest since at least 1900, when the Census Bureau began providing annual estimates of the population.

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The Census Bureau said in a statement on Thursday that net international migration, or the number of people entering and leaving the country, added approximately 1.01 million people between 2021 and 2022 and was the primary driver of growth. That is in contrast to the net migration of over 376,000 the year before, indicating a possible return to pre-pandemic levels.

According to data provided by the Census Bureau, Florida had the fastest rate of population growth in 2022, with an increase of 1.9% to approximately 22.2 million people.

According to Kristie Wilder, a demographer working in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, “While Florida has frequently been among the largest-gaining states, this was the first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percentage increase in population.”

In 2022, there were fewer people living in 18 states than there were in 15 and the District of Columbia the year before.

The number of residents in California and Illinois decreased by six figures. Both states’ declining populations were the result of net migration to other states.