Louisiana is among the states with the biggest population declines in recent years, according to new U.S. census data.
Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows Louisiana ranked fifth among states for numeric decline in population between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, losing 36,857 residents. Between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2022, 67,508 residents left the Pelican State.
States that lost more residents include New York with a 180,341 decline, California with a 113,649 loss, Illinois with a 104,437 drop, and Pennsylvania with 40,051 fewer residents.
In terms of percentage loss, Louisiana tied Illinois with a 0.8% decline from 2021 to 2022, behind only New York with a 0.9% loss.
Despite the population loss, Louisiana has remained the 25th most populous state in the U.S. from 2020 through 2022.
A breakdown of the census data shows Louisiana is losing residents mostly through domestic migration, while making small gains from natural change and international migration.
Louisiana births outnumbered deaths by 1,157 between 2021 and 2022, as international net migration totaled 8,106. But the state lost 46,672 to domestic migration to other states during the same time frame, resulting in an overall net migration loss of 38,566, according to the data.