More U.S. counties saw population gains in 2023

More U.S. counties experienced population gains than losses in 2023, as counties in the South saw faster growth and more Northeast and Midwest counties had population losses turn to gains, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2023 estimates of population and components of change released recently.
Approximately 60% (1,876) of U.S. counties gained population from 2022 to 2023, an increase from the 52% of counties (1,649) that experienced population growth between 2021 and 2022. Among the nation's 3,144 counties, the average change from 2022 to 2023 was 0.29%, up from 0.17% the previous year.
Texas added more people than any other state between July 2022 and July 2023, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Texas’ population grew by almost 475,000 during that time period, but some counties grew at much faster rates than others. Of the 254 counties in Texas, 177 saw an increase in population since July 1, 2022, while 75 had a population decline and two counties had no change.
In Southeast Texas, Jefferson, Tyler and Newton counties each had –0.01% to –1.49& change in population, while Hardin, Orange and Jasper counties each had a 0 to 1.49% of change. Chamber and Liberty counties had a 3% change or more. Chamber County's growth rate is more than 5%.