Census Bureau releases latest numbers; Temple fast-approaching 90,000 residents

DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE

With an increase of more than 470,700 people since July 2021, Texas is the largest-gaining state in the US and now has a population of 30.02 million, joining California as the only states with a resident population above 30 million, the US Census Bureau announced this week.

Texas’ growth last year was fueled by gains from three components — domestic migration (230,961), international migration (118,614) and natural increase (118,159). Natural increase means more Texans were born than died.

California and Illinois had six-figure decreases in population largely because of residents moving to other states. Since July 2021, 343,230 Californians and 141,656 Illinoisans have moved out of state.

According to the Census Bureau, Temple’s population grew by more than 3,500 people between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, and the estimated population today is approaching 90,000.

After a historically low rate of change between 2020 and 2021, the US resident population increased by 0.4 percent, or 1,256,003, to 333,287,557 in 2022, according to the US Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 national and state population estimates and components of change released Friday.

Net international migration — the number of people moving in and out of the country — added 1,010,923 people between 2021 and 2022 and was the primary driver of growth. This represents 168.8 percent growth over 2021 totals of 376,029 – an indication that migration patterns are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Positive natural change (births minus deaths) increased the population by 245,080.

“There was a sizable uptick in population growth last year compared to the prior year’s historically low increase,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. “A rebound in net international migration, coupled with the largest year-over-year increase in total births since 2007, is behind this increase.”