The population of the United States grew by 1.2 million people in 2022, reaching 333.2 million, an increase driven largely by immigration, according to estimates published Thursday by the Census Bureau.
Net
immigration
—that is, the number of people who arrive in the country from abroad minus the number of those who leave— exceeded one million,
168%
more than in 2021 (376,029 immigrants).
Every state gained immigrant residents, according to the Census.
Natural growth—births minus deaths—added another 245,080 people to the total population, marking the first year-over-year increase in the number of births since 2007.
Migrants walk towards the border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on December 14, 2022. Christian Chavez / AP
The annual population growth rate, at 0.4%, is something of a rebound from the 0.1% registered during the pandemic, between 2020 and 2021, which was the lowest since the founding of the nation.
Regionally, the
Northeast
lost nearly 219,000 people in a trend driven largely by moves from
New York
,
New Jersey
, and
Massachusetts
, as well as higher deaths than births in
Pennsylvania
.
The
Midwest
also lost nearly 49,000 residents, due in part to the departure of
Illinois
residents and as deaths outpaced births in
Ohio
.
The
South
gained 1.3 million residents, the largest increase in the entire country, led by
Texas
and
Florida
, which each gained nearly half a million residents.
Texas, the second most populous state, surpassed the 30 million resident barrier, joining California as the only state in this category.
California lost more than 113,000 residents,
to just over 39 million, the largest annual decline behind New York's loss of more than 180,000 residents.
The population decline was due to the march of 343,000 residents.
In general, the
West
of the country gained 153,000 residents, thanks to immigration and the increase in birth rates over deaths, and despite the fact that there was also an exodus from Oregon and Washington.
Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in the US, according to the Census
July 1, 202200:25
Puerto Rico lost 40,000 residents, 1.3% of its population, due to relocations and as deaths exceeded births;
its population is now 3.2 million inhabitants.
