Oregon's population shrunk last year, Census data shows

(KOIN) - Oregon was one of the fastest-shrinking states in 2022, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Oregon saw an estimated loss of 16,164 residents between July 2021 and July 2022, representing a .4% loss in the total population. That loss puts Oregon in line with other far-western states, including Hawaii at negative .05% and California at negative .03% change.

New York, Illinois, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Hawaii were the states that saw the biggest percentage decline in 2022, according to the data. No state shrunk by more than 1 percentage point.

Northeastern states lost about 219,000 residents and the Midwest lost about 49,000. The declines in both areas are due to people moving elsewhere in the country, the Census data shows.

The 10 states that shrunk the most (by percent):

1. New York (-0.9%)
2. Illinois (-0.8%)
3. Louisiana (-0.8%)
4. West Virginia (-0.6%)
5. Hawaii (-0.5%)
6. Oregon (-0.4%)
7. Mississippi (-0.3%)
8. Pennsylvania (-0.3%)
9. Rhode Island (-0.3%)
10. California (-0.3%)

Oregon was also 6th in estimated net population decrease, losing a similar number of residents to West Virginia and Louisiana.

Data shows the overall U.S. population grew by 1,256,003, or 0.4%, in 2022. The Census said 2022 saw a return to pre-pandemic population growth. All 50 states saw a net increase in residents from overseas.

“There was a sizeable uptick in population growth last year compared to the prior year’s historically low increase,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer at the Census Bureau said in a statement. “A rebound in net international migration, coupled with the largest year-over-year increase in total births since 2007, is behind this increase.”

Southern states as a whole grew by 1.1%, driven largely by both domestic and international migration. Births outpacing deaths represented a much smaller part of the area’s population growth.

The only other region to gain residents was the broader West - which includes Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Montana - but the area’s growth was much smaller. According to Census data, Western states gained 153,601 residents, an increase of 0.2%.

Top 10 states that grew the most (by percent):

1. Florida (1.9%)
2. Idaho (1.8%)
3. South Carolina (1.7%)
4. Texas (1.6%)
5. South Dakota (1.5%)
6. Montana (1.5%)
7. Delaware (1.4%)
8. Arizona (1.3%)
9. North Carolina (1.3%)
10. Utah (1.2%)

The Census Population Estimates Program combines birth, death and migration data to calculate population change since the most recent full census. The department is expected to release more detailed county and city information in 2023.