Texas is approaching a significant milestone: a population of 30 million people.
Texas’ population increased by 1.1 percent between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, according to Census Bureau estimates released on December 21.
During that time, the state’s population increased by 310,288 people, from 29,217,653 to 29,527,941. Births, deaths, people moving to Texas, and people moving out of Texas are all factored into the total.
Texas led among the states in terms of new residents added from 2020 to 2021, averaging 850 per day and seventh in percentage growth. Idaho ranked first in percentage growth at 2.9 percent.
Texas could surpass the 30 million mark in 2022 if it maintains a year-over-year growth rate of at least 1.1 percent.
United States Population Slows
The COVID-19 population growth slowed across the country from July 2020 to July 2021. During that time, the United States’ population increased by only 0.1 percent, the smallest one-year increase since the country’s founding, census numbers show.
“Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nation’s population,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. “Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination has resulted in a historically slow pace of growth.”
According to the Census Bureau, “the slow rate of growth can be attributed to decreased net international migration, decreased fertility, and increased mortality due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The country’s growth was aided by a natural increase (number of excess births over deaths) of 148,043 people and net international migration of 244,622 people.
This is the first time, according to the Census Bureau, that migration has outpaced natural growth: “Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states and the District of Columbia experienced population growth, while 17 states and the District of Columbia experienced population declines, with 11 of them losing more than 10,000 people.”