In the last year, the population of the United States grew at the fastest rate in more than 20 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

New data shows that the U.S. population increased by almost 1% this year, or by 3.3 million people, surpassing 340 million. The South experienced the most population growth of all the regions by far, increasing by 1.8 million people.

Also helping to increase the population was the fact that births outnumbered deaths by nearly 519,000 between 2023 and 2024.

The voting-age resident population (ages 18 and over) grew to nearly 267 million in the last year, while the population of people ages 17 and under actually declined by 0.2 million to 73.1 million in 2024.

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“An annual growth rate of 1.0% is higher than what we’ve seen over recent years but well within historical norms,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “What stands out is the diminishing role of natural increase over the last five years, as net international migration has become the primary driver of the nation’s growth.”

Only three states—Vermont, Mississippi, and West Virginia—lost population in the last year. West Virginia had the largest population loss, as the state lost 516 residents.

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