(WHTM) — After the U.S. population had an especially low rate of change between 2020 and 2021, population growth jumped back up between 2021 and 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Thursday.
Regionally, the South is the most populous region, and it was the fastest-growing and largest-gaining region over the past year. The West also experienced growth, while the Midwest and the Northeast both lost residents, according to the Census Bureau.
Pennsylvania was the fifth most populous state in 2022, but it also experienced the fourth-greatest numeric decline in population from 2021 to 2022, according to Census Bureau data.
Most populous states: 2022
| Rank | State | Population July 1, 2022 |
| 1 | California | 39,029,342 |
| 2 | Texas | 30,029,572 |
| 3 | Florida | 22,244,823 |
| 4 | New York | 19,677,151 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 12,972,008 |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,582,032 |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,756,058 |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,912,876 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,698,973 |
| 10 | Michigan | 10,034,113 |
Top 10 states in numeric decline: 2021 to 2022
| Rank | State | Numeric decline |
| 1 | New York | -180,341 |
| 2 | California | -113,649 |
| 3 | Illinois | -104,437 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | -40,051 |
| 5 | Louisiana | -36,857 |
| 6 | Oregon | -16,164 |
| 7 | West Virginia | -10,370 |
| 8 | Maryland | -9,950 |
| 9 | Mississippi | -9,529 |
| 10 | Ohio | -8,284 |
Top 10 states in percent decline: 2021 to 2022
| Rank | State | Percent decline |
| 1 | New York | -0.9% |
| 2 | Illinois | -0.8% |
| 3 | Louisiana | -0.8% |
| 4 | West Virginia | -0.6% |
| 5 | Hawaii | -0.5% |
| 6 | Oregon | -0.4% |
| 7 | Mississippi | -0.3% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | -0.3% |
| 9 | Rhode Island | -0.3% |
| 10 | California | -0.3% |
According to the Census Bureau, 24 states experienced natural decrease in 2022. Pennsylvania had the second-greatest natural decrease behind Florida.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia experienced positive net international migration, the Census Bureau reported. The states that gained most in net domestic migration were Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, while California, New York, and Illinois saw the biggest losses.
