New census data on population change in Pennsylvania shows that the state lost around 40,000 people between July 2021 and July 2022, write Ximena Conde and Aseem Shukla for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Overall, the United States experienced a modest increase of 0.4 percent in population, which is a historically low growth rate.

The data come from the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, which uses a number of data sources, such as vital records, to calculate changes in population each year by adding births and migration numbers and subtracting deaths. The results are estimates and are subject to change.

After a decade of steadily declining births in Pennsylvania, the state recorded a bump in births between July 2021 and July 2022. However, those gains were offset by an increased number of deaths fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state recorded around 56,000 more deaths than births. This puts Pennsylvania in the same position as 23 other states that experienced “natural change,” meaning that deaths exceeded births.

Pennsylvania benefited from positive net international migration, with roughly 27,000 international immigrants joining its population. However, domestic migration hurt the state, as around 40,000 people left for other states.

Read more about the state’s population in The Philadelphia Inquirer.