(The Center Square) – Arkansas experienced an influx of residents from other U.S. states again in 2023, but the numbers are lower than the previous year.
The latest migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the state grew by 21,328 residents from July 2022 to July 2023.
Most of the population increase, 18,106 residents, is from domestic migration. The number is 4% less than last year’s number of 18,841.
The state attracted 4,096 from other countries. The growth was offset by a decline in natural growth- the number of births subtracted by the number of deaths, which is down by 907.
Overall, the state’s population grew by 0.7%. Southern states led the U.S. in growth, according to the bureau. South Carolina led all states with 1.7% more residents than last year. Florida was second at 1.6%.
The U.S. has experienced its highest population growth since 2020, the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. An additional 1.6 million people decided to call the U.S. home in 2023, a 0.5% increase.
“U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nation’s growth,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. “Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths. Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018.”
