This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.
We’ve created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ population increased more than any other state for the second year in a row, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
As of July 1, 2024, an estimated 31,290,831 people live in Texas, second only to California, which has about 39.4 million residents.
The estimates show Texas’ population increased by 562,941 since July 2023 , or about 1.83%.
Florida is not far behind, with a population increase of 467,347 over the past year. California added more than 230,000 people, while North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Arizona and Washington each added more than 100,000 new residents between July 2023 and July 2024.
In total, 47 states and the District of Columbia saw an increase in population, while three states and Puerto Rico saw a decline in population.
West Virginia lost the most residents in the past year, 516 in total. Puerto Rico’s population fell by 497, while Vermont and Mississippi lost 215 and 127 residents respectively.
When looking at percentage change, Texas ranks third, with a population increase of 1.83% between 2023 and 2024.
The District of Columbia and Florida both saw higher rates of population growth: 2.17% and 2.04% respectively. Utah and South Carolina round out the top five, behind Texas.
The populations of Vermont and West Virginia both declined by 0.03%. Puerto Rico lost 0.02% of all residents, while Mississippi dropped by 0.004%.
The national population in July 2024, excluding Puerto Rico, was estimated at 340,110,988, an increase of more than 3.3 million over 2023. Nationwide, the population grew by 0.98%, the largest increase since 2001.
The Census Bureau is expected to release new 2024 estimates for county and metro populations in March, ahead of new city population estimates in May.
Figures from 2023 show Houston remains the largest city in the state by far, with more than 2.3 million residents. San Antonio has almost 1.5 million residents, while Dallas has a little more than 1.3 million residents. Austin and Fort Worth round out the top five, each with almost 980,000 residents.
