Pa. Remains Fifth-Largest State Despite Lagging Nation In Growth

Pennsylvania has seen some modest population growth in the past year, but at a far slower rate than the rest of the country.

According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released Dec. 19, Pennsylvania's estimated population count as of July 1 stood at 12,807,060. That's up 17,159 from the same date in 2017, an increase of just 0.12 percent.

At the same time, the total U.S. population increased by 0.6 percent, led by Nevada and Idaho's 2.1 percent population spike in a single year's time.

Nine states saw decreases in population, led by neighboring West Virginia's 0.6 percent decline. New York was also among the decliners with a 0.2 percent drop.

When ranking all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania's population growth was the 13th-lowest in the country.

When measured against the last Census in 2010, Pennsylvania's rate of growth in the past eight years is 0.82 percent, 8th-lowest in the nation. Overall U.S. population is up 6 percent since 2010.

Pennsylvania remains the fifth-largest state by population, trailing California, Texas, Florida and New York. Prior to 2017, it was the sixth-largest, but the state surpassed Illinois that year.

None of Pennsylvania's neighbors were among the 10 fastest-growing states from 2017 to 2018. Delaware led the region in 12th place with an increase of 1.02 percent. Maryland was 39th with a 0.3 percent rise, and New Jersey and Ohio were in a virtual tie at 45th place with a 0.22 percent increase.

Pennsylvania is the ninth-most densely populated state at 286 people per square mile. New Jersey is first at 1,224.

"Many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years," said Sandra Johnson, a demographer/statistician in the Population Division of the Census Bureau. "If those states are not gaining from either domestic or international migration, they will experience either low population growth or outright decline."

The United States remains the third-most populous nation in the world, according to the Census Bureau, with about 329 million people. China still leads the way with 1.38 billion people, followed by India at 1.3 billion. Indonesia is fourth with 262 million and Brazil fifth with 208 million.

The total global population is estimated at 7.5 billion.