Americans are on the Move

by JG Walker

Ten Most Populous States

According to the latest official annual estimates and major moving company reports for 2022, more Americans are retiring or relocating to Southern states and mid-sized cities. Those trends seem likely to continue in 2023 and beyond.

According to recently released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s population increased by 0.4% for the one-year period ending on July 1, 2022. That’s an addition of 1,256,003 new Americans and an all-time high for the total U.S. population of 333,287,557.

California remains the most populous state but has declined in population. The biggest winner, according to the new estimates, is Texas. Already America’s second most populous state, Texas tops the 30-million mark for the first time. Florida remains at No. 3 on the list with a population of just over 22 million, up nearly 417,000 during the year.

The other two Top 10 most populous states—Georgia and North Carolina—also show a significant growth in new residents during the year and are approaching a total population of 11 million each. Arizona, South Carolina, and Tennessee are additional states with noteworthy numeric population gains. Delaware’s population is also growing by 1.4%, and four Western states—Idaho, South Dakota, Montana, and Utah—show population increases of between 1.8% and 1.2%.