In brief
According to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data, Texas, with a population of 31 million, was the primary source of new residents for states such as Alaska, California, and Louisiana. With a total increase of 2.1 million residents from 2020 to 2024, it remains a leader in both population growth and interstate migration, alongside Florida, California, and New York, which have also seen significant out-migration.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Texas provided the most new residents of any U.S. state for nine other states, despite having the biggest population growth this decade, according to figures released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.Texas was the top source of new residents for Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, according to the 2024 state-to-state migration flows, which track where someone lived in the previous year and where they currently live.With 31 million residents, Texas ranks second in population among U.S. states. Between 2020 and 2024, Texas gained 2.1 million people.“ The obvious and primary answer is size,” said Dudley Poston, professor emeritus of sociology at Texas A&M University. “There’s got to be more people leaving Texas than leaving other states because of the population size of Texas.” Other large producers of residents who moved to other states included the nation’s other most populous states: California, Florida, and New York. Florida, with 23 million residents, saw significant migration to Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio while California supplied most new residents to western states like Arizona and Washington.Despite these trends, high costs of living and competitive job markets in cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte may influence the migration patterns, as noted by Richard Doty, a research demographer at the University of Florida. He mentions that relocation options to Florida are becoming less affordable than in the past.New York made notable contributions to the populations in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, while Illinois led migration to nearby Midwestern states. Generally, large populations naturally generate significant in-and-out movements, a pattern confirmed by Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center.While international migration typically played a primary role in populating states, the states with high out-migration rates also experience considerable internal migration within the U.S. The Census Bureau is expected to release fresh population estimates that will further illustrate these trends in 2025.
