The latest Census data for 2023 tell us that the South has accounted for much more population growth than the nation as a whole since the 2020 census. According to an analysis by our chief demographer Wendell Cox, between 2020 and 2023, the South gained 3,857,000 residents, while the rest of the nation lost 407,000.

The big loser was the Northeast, which lost 631,000 people. The Midwest lost 78,000, with a gain of 302,000 in the West, even though California lost 573,000 in population.