Texas, South see population gains among fastest-growing counties; Western states slow

Texas is home to some of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, six of the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the U.S. were in the Lone Star State.

The number of U.S. residents moving into counties in Texas is a major contributing factor to its population growth. International migration, birth rates and death rates also affect a state's population growth.

Population growth data was measured between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, according to the Census.

“Domestic migration patterns are changing, and the impact on counties is especially evident,” Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch, said in a statement. “Areas which experienced high levels of domestic out-migration during the pandemic, such as in the Midwest and Northeast, are now seeing more counties with population growth. Meanwhile, county population growth is slowing down out West, such as in Arizona and Idaho.”

Eight of the top 10 counties that led the nation by numeric change in 2023 were in Texas. They included:

• Harris County, which includes Houston. It added 53,788 residents and was the largest-gaining county in the nation.

• Collin County, Texas, northeast of Dallas (36,364).

• Montgomery County, Texas, north of Houston (31,800).

These are the fastest-growing counties in the US

These counties had the largest population increases

Southern hospitality: More people moved to the South last year than any other region.

Where are New Yorkers moving to?: More than half a million people left New York in 2022.

Population rises in the South

On average, counties in the South experienced faster growth in 2023 than in 2022. The South Census region is made up of 16 states and Washington, D.C.: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Sixty-seven percent, or 950 of the counties in the region, experienced population gains in 2023, up from 59%, or 836, in 2022.

Southern states grew by more than 1.4 million people from 2022 to 2023, making it the fastest-growing region in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The expansion accounted for 87% of the nation’s growth in 2023.

The South experienced a growth of 1.1% in that year, largely driven by domestic and international migration. Since 2018, the South has experienced increasing year-to-year net domestic migration and is the most populous region in the U.S. at 130.1 million.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The fastest growing counties in the US are mostly in Texas: Census