By the numbers: People flocking to Gem state

Idaho and Nevada were the two fastest-growing states in the nation last year, while Washington ranked sixth, according to figures released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

As of July 1, Idaho’s estimated population was 1.75 million, according to the agency. That was an increase of 2.1 percent or 35,304 people compared to 2017.

Nevada’s population also grew by 2.1 percent. Utah ranked third, with a 1.9 percent growth rate, while Washington came in sixth at 1.5 percent.

Washington also ranked sixth in terms of numerical growth. It added an estimated 110,159 people, for a total population of 7.54 million.

Texas saw the largest numerical increase in population last year, adding nearly 380,000 people. Florida ranked second, with an increase of 322,000.

Nine states lost population over the past year, according to the census estimates, including Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming. The United States as a whole grew by about 2 million people or 0.6 percent, to 327.17 million.

Sandra Johnson, a statistician in the bureau’s Population Division, noted that much of the growth states experience comes from people moving in, rather than high birth rates.

“Many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years,” Johnson said in a news release. “If those states aren’t gaining from either domestic or international migration, they will experience either low population growth or outright decline.”

Natural increase — the difference between the number of births and deaths each year — has been steadily declining over the past decade. Natural increase in the U.S. was 1.04 million last year, compared to 1.8 million in 2008.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.

Top 10 states in percentage growth, 2017 to 2018

State 2017 pop. 2018 pop. pct. change

Nevada 2,972,405 3,034,392 2.1

Idaho 1,718,904 1,754,208 2.1

Utah 3,103,118 3,161,105 1.9

Arizona 7,048,876 7,171,646 1.7

Florida 20,976,812 21,299,325 1.5

Washington 7,425,432 7,535,591 1.5

Colorado 5,615,902 5,695,564 1.4

Texas 28,322,717 28,701,845 1.3

S. Carolina 5,021,219 5,084,127 1.3

N. Carolina 10,270,800 10,383,620 1.1