Utah fastest-growing state since 2010, per census

UTAH (ABC4) – Utah is the fastest-growing state in terms of population in the last decade, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released estimates of the total population and voting-age population for the nation and states.

According to the data, which is based on birth records, death records, and net migration, the 2010 census showed Utah’s population as 2,763,885. The latest data shows Utah’s population as 3,249,879.

That’s an increase of over 485,000 people, or just under 18%.

For comparison, Arizona reported a 1.03 million increase in population from 2010 to 2020, a 16% increase for Utah’s southern neighbor. California reports a more than 2.1 million increase in its population over the last decade – an increase of just under 6%.

Colorado reported a 15.5% increase, Nevada a 16% increase, and Idaho a 16.5% increase.

Illinois reported a decrease in population of more than 163,000 while New York reported a decrease of more than 41,000.

Nationally, the Associated Press reports the U.S. population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020.

Population growth in the U.S. already was stagnant over the past several years due to immigration restrictions and a dip in fertility rates, but coronavirus-related deaths exacerbated the lethargic-growth trend, William Frey, a senior fellow at The Brooking Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, tells the Associated Press.

From July 2019 to July 2020, the latest census data shows the U.S. population grew by 0.35%, or 1.1 million people. The U.S. is now home to more than 329 million residents, as of the July 2020 results.

The Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. had tiny population declines from 2019 to 2020, while the South and West regions had slight increases.

In the same timeframe, Idaho had the largest single-year population increase, growing 2.1% to 1.8 million residents. It was followed by Arizona, which grew 1.8%; Nevada, which increased 1.5%; Utah, which grew 1.4%; and Texas, which increased 1.3%.

Sixteen states lost population from 2019-2020, including California, the nation’s most populous state, which declined 0.18% to 39.3 million residents.

The estimates show that California could lose a House seat for the first time in the state’s history, while Texas could gain three seats and Florida could gain two seats, according to an analysis by Frey.

Five others states — Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon — stand to gain one seat. Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia stand to lose a seat, according to Frey.