Texas, Florida gained population in '23; NY, California lost people

More people moved to Texas and Florida among the 50 states in 2023, while New York and California experienced declines in their populations, new census data found.

Texas added the more people to its population than any other state, according to the new census report published Tuesday that found the state’s population grew by 473,453 people in 2023. Florida followed Texas for the strongest population growth, adding 365,205 residents. 

Texas and Florida already represent the second and third most populous states in the United States, with 30.5 million and 22.6 million residents, respectively. The population increase last year represents a 1.6 percent population growth for both Texas and Florida.

Meanwhile, New York and California were two of the eight states that experienced population drops in 2023. New York’s population decreased by 101,984 people, and California’s declined by 75,423.

New York’s population decrease represented a 0.5 percent drop; California’s represented a 0.2 percent drop.

California is the most populous state in the country, with about 38.9 million people; New York is the fourth most populous state, with 19.6 million residents.

Overall, the U.S. population grew 0.5 percent in 2023 — a slight uptick from the 0.4 percent growth in 2022. The South accounted for 87 percent of the nation’s growth in 2023.

“U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nation’s growth,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, said in a statement. “Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths. Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018.”