Texas again leads US in population growth

[Neil Narayan]

Texas added the most residents of any state by raw numbers in 2021 while California's population continued to dwindle for the second year in a row, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. A years-long trend of residents trading the West Coast for the Lone Star State is likely continuing, especially as companies relocate to Texas in droves.

Texas gained an estimated 310,288 people, which would be a roughly 1.1% increase, between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, according to the data released Dec. 21. That accounts for births and migration. The Lone Star State was estimated to have a population of 29,527,941 by July of this year, and its growth rate has been consistent over the last few years.

California, however, lost an estimated 261,902 residents from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021, which would mark just the second year for the population of the Golden State to fall since at least 1900.

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The Census estimates still peg California as the most populous state with roughly 39,237,836 residents, though the federal agency also surmised the state lost the most residents — 367,299 — to domestic migration.

Overall, the U.S. population grew an estimated 0.1% in 2021, the slowest rate in history. Census officials pointed to the nation's lower birth rates, decreasing net international migration and rising mortality rates as the culprit.