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Arizona sees more population gains as California sees first-ever drop

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Posted at 11:46 AM, Dec 28, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-28 13:46:35-05

PHOENIX — Arizona's population continues to surge as people move to the state in droves.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 population estimates, Texas, Florida and Arizona topped the list of states that added the most residents in the past year, while California's population took a major hit. Many people are swapping the West Coast for Arizona and Central Texas — a years-long trend that's only accelerated during the pandemic.

Arizona gained an estimated 129,558 people between July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, according to the data released Dec. 22. That includes both migration and births. At the beginning of July, the state's population stood at an estimated 7,421,401 which is up from 7,291,843 a year earlier, or a gain of 1.78%.

Texas saw the biggest year-over-year population growth in the country, gaining 373,965 people.

On the other hand, California lost an estimated 69,532 residents — the first major, negative population change for the West Coast state since at least 1900, based on available data, according to a report by Wendell Cox, principal of St. Louis-based international public policy firm Demographia.

Read more of this story from the Phoenix Business Journal.