Population Growth in South Outpaces Northeast, Midwest
County population growth is slowing down out west, such as in Arizona and Idaho.
More counties in South experienced population gains and faster growth than losses and more in the Northeast and Midwest counties had population losses turn to gains, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2023 estimates of population and components of change.
Approximately 60% (1,876) of U.S. counties gained population from 2022 to 2023, an increase from the 52% of counties (1,649) that experienced population growth between 2021 and 2022.
The average change in the nation’s 3,144 counties from 2022 to 2023 was 0.29%, up from 0.17% the previous year.
Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch, said in prepared remarks that areas experiencing high levels of domestic out-migration during the pandemic, such as in the Midwest and Northeast, are now seeing more counties with population growth. Meanwhile, county population growth is slowing down out west, such as in Arizona and Idaho.
For the first time since 2020, more counties in the Midwest had population gains (542) than losses (513), narrowing the average annual change among the region’s 1,055 counties to a loss of 0.02% from a loss of 0.09% a year earlier.
While the Northeast still had more counties losing (113) than gaining (105) population in 2023, population loss among its counties moderated compared to the previous year.
The average annual change among the region’s 218 counties slowed from -0.24% to -0.07% in 2023. The number of counties with population increases rose from 83 in 2022 to 105 in 2023.
Positive net international migration occurred in 80 percent (2,515) of U.S. counties in 2023. Miami-Dade County, Florida (54,457), and Harris County, Texas (41,665) saw the greatest activity.
In Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, all counties experienced positive net international migration.
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