Hispanic, Asian people drive population boom, stopping losses in many states

Hispanic, Asian and multiracial residents drove population growth in the United States last year,  and 16 states would have lost population without gains in those groups, according to a new analysis published this week by the Brookings Institution.

In three states where the number of residents declined — Mississippi, Vermont and West Virginia — growth in those communities prevented even greater population loss, according to the analysis.

Immigration drives nation’s population growth

Nationwide, the 1% population growth for the year was mostly fueled by immigration, representing “a much-needed uptick from the historically low population growth of the COVID-19 period, along with the diminishing growth of recent decades,” the Brookings report said.

Recent Census Bureau data breaking down changes by race and Hispanic status show that Hispanic, Asian and multiracial categories made up 93% of the nation’s population growth. The number of Black and Native people also grew but at a much slower rate, while the white population declined.

Hispanic, Asian and multiracial people made up 86% of the growth in Texas, which had the largest population growth for the year at almost 563,000, and 78% of the growth in Florida, which ranked second for growth at about 467,000. California, which grew by about 233,000, would have lost population without growth in those groups.

In addition to California, 15 other states would have lost population, but grew instead, because of larger numbers of Hispanic, Asian and multiracial people: Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington.

Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at [email protected].