Idaho’s statewide population growth outpaced the nation in 2023

By Reader Staff

If it feels like Idaho’s population has risen at a rapid pace over the past year, it’s because it has. According to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, released Jan. 5 by the Idaho Department of Labor, the Gem State grew by a whopping 1.3% between July 2022 and July 2023, when the data was gathered. That’s compared to the national growth rate of 0.5%, which itself was higher than 2021 and 2022, which measured 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively.

Idaho’s 2023 population increase ranked it fourth nationally for percentage growth, though it fell seven places to 17th in the nation for numerical growth, with a total population of 1,964,726 as of July 2023. The U.S. population, meanwhile, rose to 334,914,895.

Census officials stated that population increases across the country were bolstered in part by an almost 9% decline in deaths — which made up for an overall reduction in nationwide births — coupled with higher rates of immigration. Taken together, those trends resulted in the largest rise in national population since 2018.

South Carolina and Florida represented the three fastest-growing states, marking increases of 1.7%, 1.6% and 1.58%, respectively, followed by Idaho.

Texas had the largest numerical increase, with more than 473,000 new residents, followed by Florida, with 365,000. That typified the overall growth trend, with the U.S. South accounting for the largest population increase in the nation: 706,000 people moved to the region from elsewhere in the country and net international migration totaled almost 500,000 during the year. 

While most states experienced a population rebound from 2022 to 2023, only eight saw a decline: New York lost the most, down 0.52%, followed by Louisiana (-0.31%), Hawaii (-0.3%), Illinois (-0.26%), West Virginia (-0.22%), California (-0.19%), Oregon (-0.14%) and Pennsylvania (-0.08%).

In contrast, 18 states saw declining populations from 2021 to 2022, the Census Bureau reported.

A closer examination of Idaho’s 2023 population growth reveals a shift, with 78% attributed to in-migration (primarily domestic) and 22% from natural change (births minus deaths), compared to 10% in 2022. International migration increased from 5% in 2022 to 18% in 2023. In total, Idaho added 25,730 new residents year over year.

The Census Bureau expects to release population estimates for Idaho’s metropolitan statistical areas, counties and cities in the spring of 2024. Full tables are accessible at https://lmi.idaho.gov/census.