On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a record-breaking 300,000 people fleeing California in 2021 as the nation slowly begins its recovery from COVID-19 impacts on population growth. This staggering number of departures outpaced any other state’s during this same time period.
The estimates cover the period from July 2021 to July 2022.
For the third straight year, California has experienced a drop in population numbers; however, The Sacramento Bee reported that births still outnumbered deaths.
Thanks to the influx of more than 1 million migrants, the population in America rose by an astounding 1.3 million people:
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau announced its Vintage 2022 national and state population estimates and components of change revealing that after a record-low rate of growth between 2020–2021, the United States experienced an expansion in resident population by 0.4%, or 1,256,003 people to 333,287,557 for 2022!
Net international migration (the number of people entering and leaving the countries) added 1.01 million individuals between 2021-2022, representing an enormous 168.8% increase from 376 thousand in 2021; a stark indication that pre-pandemic migratory patterns are resuming once more! Moreover, positive natural change – births minus deaths – led to further population growth with 245,000 extra citizens being welcomed into the country.
The South saw the highest population growth due to migration from other states, spearheaded by Florida and followed closely by Texas and North Carolina. On the contrary, California, New York, and Illinois all suffered a net losses in residents due to outward movement of people while the Northeast and Midwest experienced overall drops in their populations as well. However, despite this trend of decreasing populations in certain regions, the West still managed to increase thanks largely to births – making up for any drag caused by California’s exodus.
The Census Bureau has reported that international migration had an impact on the entire nation, with California (125,715), Florida (125,629) and Texas (118,614) having the most significant increases. This influx of foreign citizens brought about positive net gains in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.