<p>The US population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the US Census Bureau — a trend that demographers say provides a glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic's toll.</p>.<p>Population growth in the US already was stagnant over the past several years due to immigration restrictions and a dip in fertility, but coronavirus-related deaths exacerbated that lethargic-growth trend, said William Frey, a senior fellow at The Brooking Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.</p>.<p>“I think it's a first glimpse of where we may be heading as far as low population growth," Frey said.</p>.<p>“It's telling you that this is having an impact on the population."</p>.<p>The US population grew by 0.35 per cent from July 2019 to July 2020, an increase of 1.1 million people in a nation whose estimated population in July was more than 329 million residents, according to Census Bureau estimates.</p>.<p>An analysis by Frey shows that it's the smallest increase this century and smaller than any in the last century as well.</p>.<p>At the height of the Spanish flu, the growth rate from 1918 to 1919 was 0.49 per cent — even with US troops abroad during World War I.</p>.<p>The Northeast and Midwest regions of the US had tiny population declines from 2019 to 2020, while the South and West regions had slight increases.</p>.<p>Among the states, Idaho had the largest single-year population increase, growing 2.1 per cent to 1.8 million residents. It was followed by Arizona, which grew 1.8 per cent; Nevada, which increased by 1.5 per cent; Utah, which grew 1.4 per cent; and Texas, which increased by 1.3 per cent.</p>.<p>Sixteen states lost population, including California, the nation's most populous state, which declined 0.18 per cent to 39.3 million residents.</p>.<p>New York — the pandemic's epicentre in the spring — had the nation's biggest decline, losing an estimated 126,000 residents, or a dip of 0.65 per cent.</p>.<p>The Empire State has been losing residents since 2016, but the drop from 2019 to 2020 was significantly larger than in years past.</p>.<p>New York's population decline was followed by Illinois, with a 0.63 per cent drop; Hawaii, with a 0.61 per cent decline; West Virginia, with a 0.58 per cent drop; and Mississippi, with a 0.38 per cent decline.</p>.<p>The estimates released Tuesday were conducted independently of the 2020 census, which is a headcount of every US resident, but they offer a preview of what the census may show once its data are finished being crunched.</p>.<p>The data from the once-a-decade census are used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets based on population, as well as the distribution of USD 1.5 trillion in federal funding.</p>.<p>The estimates show that California could lose a House seat for the first time in the state's history, while Texas could gain three seats and Florida could gain two seats, according to an analysis by Frey.</p>.<p>Five others states — Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon — stand to gain one seat. Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia stand to lose a seat, according to Frey.</p>
<p>The US population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the US Census Bureau — a trend that demographers say provides a glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic's toll.</p>.<p>Population growth in the US already was stagnant over the past several years due to immigration restrictions and a dip in fertility, but coronavirus-related deaths exacerbated that lethargic-growth trend, said William Frey, a senior fellow at The Brooking Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.</p>.<p>“I think it's a first glimpse of where we may be heading as far as low population growth," Frey said.</p>.<p>“It's telling you that this is having an impact on the population."</p>.<p>The US population grew by 0.35 per cent from July 2019 to July 2020, an increase of 1.1 million people in a nation whose estimated population in July was more than 329 million residents, according to Census Bureau estimates.</p>.<p>An analysis by Frey shows that it's the smallest increase this century and smaller than any in the last century as well.</p>.<p>At the height of the Spanish flu, the growth rate from 1918 to 1919 was 0.49 per cent — even with US troops abroad during World War I.</p>.<p>The Northeast and Midwest regions of the US had tiny population declines from 2019 to 2020, while the South and West regions had slight increases.</p>.<p>Among the states, Idaho had the largest single-year population increase, growing 2.1 per cent to 1.8 million residents. It was followed by Arizona, which grew 1.8 per cent; Nevada, which increased by 1.5 per cent; Utah, which grew 1.4 per cent; and Texas, which increased by 1.3 per cent.</p>.<p>Sixteen states lost population, including California, the nation's most populous state, which declined 0.18 per cent to 39.3 million residents.</p>.<p>New York — the pandemic's epicentre in the spring — had the nation's biggest decline, losing an estimated 126,000 residents, or a dip of 0.65 per cent.</p>.<p>The Empire State has been losing residents since 2016, but the drop from 2019 to 2020 was significantly larger than in years past.</p>.<p>New York's population decline was followed by Illinois, with a 0.63 per cent drop; Hawaii, with a 0.61 per cent decline; West Virginia, with a 0.58 per cent drop; and Mississippi, with a 0.38 per cent decline.</p>.<p>The estimates released Tuesday were conducted independently of the 2020 census, which is a headcount of every US resident, but they offer a preview of what the census may show once its data are finished being crunched.</p>.<p>The data from the once-a-decade census are used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets based on population, as well as the distribution of USD 1.5 trillion in federal funding.</p>.<p>The estimates show that California could lose a House seat for the first time in the state's history, while Texas could gain three seats and Florida could gain two seats, according to an analysis by Frey.</p>.<p>Five others states — Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon — stand to gain one seat. Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia stand to lose a seat, according to Frey.</p>