U.S. Census Bureau's state population estimates

U.S. Population Surpasses 340 Million with 1% Growth, 84% Driven by Immigration; South Leads Growth

Dec 19, 2024, 08:26 PM

Immigration in 2024 propelled U.S. population growth to its highest rate in 23 years, with the nation surpassing 340 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 1% growth rate marked the highest since 2001, a significant increase from the record low of 0.2% in 2021 during the peak of pandemic travel restrictions. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million-person increase, with immigration rising by 2.8 million people. This surge included individuals admitted for humanitarian reasons due to a revised counting method, which now includes those entering through humanitarian parole. The Migration Policy Institute reported that over 5.8 million people were admitted under various humanitarian policies from 2021 to 2024. Births exceeded deaths by nearly 519,000, an improvement over the historic low of 146,000 in 2021. The South emerged as the fastest-growing region, adding 1.8 million new residents, with Texas and Florida leading in numeric gains. The impact of immigration was crucial for 16 states, preventing population declines due to domestic outmigration or deaths outnumbering births. The Census Bureau's figures, however, have been lower than estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, which estimated 3.3 million immigrants in 2023, compared to the Census Bureau's revised figure of 2.3 million.