New US Population: 313.9M

The US Census Bureau now pegs the US population at 313.9 million people, up a scant 2.3 million, or .075%, from last year, reports USA Today. Small as it is, the increase actually reverses five years of slowing growth, notes the AP, though we're still at a level that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Birth rates and immigration remain in decline. Also:

• An oil boom in North Dakota made it the fastest-growing state in terms of percentage, up 2.2%. Next came DC, Texas, Wyoming, and Utah.
• Texas gained the biggest number of people, 427,400.
• Rhode Island and Vermont were the only states to lose population.

• California remains the most populous state with 38 million residents.
• In Maine and West Virginia, aging populations mean that deaths now outnumber births.
• Florida posted a net gain of 200,000 people, a rebound from its recent trend of having more people leaving than moving in.

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