It came close in 2013, but now Florida has overtaken New York to become the third most-populous state in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As of July 1, 2014, the Census Bureau estimated that there were 19.9 million Florida residents over the prior year (803 per day) compared to the 51,000 additional for New York.
California remains easily the most populous state in the nation, according to the latest data. It saw an increase of more than 371 thousand residents year-over- year, second only to Texas (51,321), the second-most populous state.
While Texas, California and Florida boasted the largest numerical increases in residents, on a percentage basis it was North Dakota that emerged as the fastest- growing, with its population size expanding by 2.16% year-over-year.
Nevada (1.71%) and Texas (1.7%) followed, with Colorado (1.59%) and the District of Columbia (1.51%) rounding out the top 5.
The Census Bureau notes that aside from North Dakota, each of the top 10 fastest-growing states (in percentage terms) are in the South or West.
Other findings:
- Six states saw their population decline between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014. They were: Illinois, West Virginia, Connecticut, New Mexico, Alaska, and Vermont. Illinois remains the 5th most populous state, with roughly 93 thousand more residents than Pennsylvania (12.88 million and 12.79 million, respectively);
- Puerto Rico’s population continues to drop, down 1.3% from a year earlier, equivalent to a loss of 47 thousand;
- Georgia, the 8th-most populous state, passed 10 million residents for the first time; and
- Overall, the U.S. population stood at 318.9 million as of July 1, 2014, an increase of 2.4 million (0.75 million).