(The Center Square) – Alaska is growing but not by much.
The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual population estimates showing the net population change in Alaska from July 2022 to July 2023 was 130. It’s a small increase, but the Bureau noted the change.
“Fewer Western states experienced population loss in 2023,” the U.S. Census Bureau reported, “with Alaska and New Mexico gaining population again after losing population the prior year.”
Eleven states that saw population decreases in 2022 saw gains in 2023: New Jersey (30,024), Ohio (26,238), Minnesota (23,615), Massachusetts (18,659), Maryland (16,272), Michigan (3,980), Kansas (3,830), Rhode Island (2,120), New Mexico (895), Mississippi (762), and Alaska (130).
Alaska’s population now stands at 733,406 residents, a modest increase. In 2023 there were 9,266 births in the state, outpacing deaths at 5,581 for a net change of 3,685.
Over five and a half thousand people left The Last Frontier state in 2023, but approximately 2,000 immigrants from other countries made Alaska their home, continuing the trend of an overall loss of population through outward migration. The state has not seen positive net domestic migration since 2012, the census data revealed.
Nationally, the U.S. “gained more than 1.6 million people this past year, growing by 0.5% to 334,914,895. More states experienced population growth in 2023 than in any year since the start of the pandemic,” the Bureau noted.
The South experienced the largest population growth, adding 1.4 million residents as people flocked to that region during the pandemic. Nearly 500,000 of those were people from other countries, while over 702,000 people from other states chose to relocate to the South, with South Carolina having the largest percentage increase at 1.7%. Moderate growth was also seen in the Western States.
