New Census Data Underscores Hispanic Population Growth

A new report from the Census Bureau presents a fascinating picture of the changing demographics of the U.S., where the growing Hispanic population accounts for 71% of the nation’s overall population growth between 2022 and 2023.

A higher birth rate among Hispanics (1.8%) compared to non-Hispanics (0.2%) accounted for much of the growth. However, one-third of the increase in the Hispanic population was due to international migration, with 437,000 new entrants. Among non-Hispanics, there was a net gain of more than 700,000 people through net international migration.

The growing Hispanic community heavily contributed to the total increase of 1.64 million in the U.S. population in 2023, the Census reported. “Hispanics of any race made up almost one-fifth (19.5%) of the U.S. population in 2023 [for a total of 65,219,145] — making it the second largest group after the non-Hispanic White population.” Despite this increase, the 1.8% annual rate of growth was lower than in previous decades: 2.0% between 2012 and 2013, and 3.7% between 2002 and 2003.

The report found the low growth rate of the non-Hispanic population was partly attributable to a decline among non-Hispanic Whites to 195,432,584 in 2023 – the only population group to experience a population loss, largely due to a higher number of deaths than births. Even so, non-Hispanic Whites made up the largest share (58%) of the U.S. population in 2023. “Conversely,” the Census reported, “the other non-Hispanic race groups experienced population growth in 2023: Two or More Races, 2.4%; Asian, 2.3%; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 1.7%; Black, 0.6%; and American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%.

There was also an effect on states, metro areas and counties of the growing Hispanic population. “Between 2022 and 2023, 73% of U.S. metro areas (282 out of 387) experienced population growth, with the majority of those metro areas experiencing more growth among Hispanic residents than non-Hispanic.” Population growth in 27 of 43 states was attributable to increases in the Hispanic population, and 13 of those states saw declines in the non-Hispanic population.

“The five largest counties where total population increased due to Hispanic population growth (offsetting non-Hispanic population declines) were: Broward County, Florida; Dallas County, Texas; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Riverside County, California; and San Bernardino County, California,” the Census noted.

The largest White populations by state were found in California, Texas, and Florida. South Carolina had the fastest-growing White population, notably in Horry and Jasper Counties. Among metro areas, Nashville had the largest gain in its White population.

Among large metro areas, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, had the largest White population in 2023 even though it fell -0.9% from 2022. It was followed by Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (4,632,734), and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.

The largest Hispanic populations among states were found in California (15,760,437), Texas (12,135,690), Florida (6,197,465) and New York (3,873,130). With the exception of New York, these states also saw the highest numeric increases in the Hispanic population. But the state with the fastest Hispanic growth rate was North Dakota.

“Among U.S. metro areas with a million or more people, Hispanic residents in 2023 made up at least 50% of the population in Fresno, CA (55.8%), San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX (54.8%), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (53.7%). Pittsburgh, PA (2.4%), St. Louis, MO-IL (4.0%), and Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN (4.6%), had the lowest share in 2023,” the report stated.

The African American population in the US rose 0.6% to 42, 313,088, with the largest populations found in Texas and Georgia. Texas also had the largest gains in its Black population, but Maine had the fastest-growing, up 7.7% to 28,000 in 2023. By metro, New York led the nation with a Black resident population of 3,074,702, even after losing 35,389 in 2023 – the largest single-year loss. The Asian population of the U.S. also increased 2.3% to 20,685,425 in 2023, accounting for 7.4% of the nation. California and New York had the highest numbers of Asian residents. Idaho had the fastest growth. Others of the fastest-growing Asian communities were found in counties and metros in Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Collin County.

The Census also revealed a 2.4% increase to 8,182,748 in the number of people who identified as two or more races. Surprisingly, South Carolina had the fastest-growing number of individuals in this category.