A lot of Americans packed up and moved last year and many of them were heading south. Southern states grew by over 1.3-million people in 2022, making it the fastest-growing region in the country, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- The South has had increasing year-to-year migration since 2018 and it’s now the most populous region in the U.S. with 128.7-million people.
- Northeast states have lost around 219-thousand residents to other states during the same time period, while Midwest states have lost about 49-thousand.
- The West is the only other region that has seen population growth, but it was much smaller than in the South, gaining around 153-thousand residents.
- Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022.
- Last year, 91-thousand of the almost 550-thousand New Yorkers who moved out of the state moved to Florida.
- “While Florida has often been among the largest-gaining states, this was the first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percent increase in population," explains Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the population division at the census bureau.
The 10 States With the Most Growth Between 2021 and 2022
- Florida (1.9%)
- Idaho (1.8%)
- South Carolina (1.7%)
- Texas (1.6%)
- South Dakota (1.5%)
- Montana (1.5%)
- Delaware (1.4%)
- Arizona (1.3%)
- North Carolina (1.3%)
- Utah (1.2%)
Source: USA Today
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