Census Data Shows New Kind of White Flight As More Americans Ditch Snow

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Of the 10 U.S. states with the highest numeric growth, just one, Colorado, sees snow on a regular basis according to the latest U.S. Census data. Air-conditioning and an aversion to the cold continue to increase interest in warmer climates.

The state with the highest population growth should come as no surprise. Texas’ population grew by 1.3 percent, equaling 379,128 residents from July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018. Texas also retains its crown as the second-most-populous state at 28,701,845, still some 11 million fewer than No. 1, California’s 39,557,045 residents. However with Texas adding more than twice the new residents as California, we may catch them yet.

Overall, the U.S population grew by 0.6 percent, adding 2.02 million residents overall. Of those, 1,041,487 were citizen births, down 81,059 from the prior year. The remainder resulted from migration, an increase of 25,592 from the prior year’s 953,233 inflow. The U.S. gives birth every eight seconds, while someone dies every 10 seconds. In Texas, gains came from both domestic births and migrations as well as international arrivals.

Interestingly, while overall population increased by 0.6 percent, the population over 18 years old increased by 0.9 percent. This increased the voting population to 253,768,092.

But every state didn’t see a population increase. New York (-48,510), Illinois (-45,116 – fifth year of declines in a row), West Virginia (-11,216), Louisiana (-10,840), Hawaii (-3,712), Mississippi (-3,133), Alaska (-2,348), Connecticut (-1,215), and Wyoming (-1,197) all lost population. There are a couple of drivers in the list. New York, Connecticut, and Hawaii are among the most expensive places to live. Illinois is in financial ruin. Increasing urbanization likely accounts for some of the losses in West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, and Wyoming.

The steep road ahead

Globally, China is the most populous nation with 1.39 billion people, with India a close second at 1.312 billion. However, had the Dominion of India not been separated in 1947, ultimately resulting in today’s India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, it would eclipse China with 1.68 billion residents – or five times the population of the U.S. Russia, so in the news, is less than half the U.S. population at 142 million.

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