US population growth smallest in at least 120 years
Population growth in the U.S. already was stagnant over the past several years due to immigration restrictions and a dip in fertility.
Author: MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
Published: 1:10 PM EST December 22, 2020
Updated: 1:10 PM EST December 22, 2020
WASHINGTON — The U.S. population grew by the smallest rate in at least 120 years from 2019 to 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau — a trend that demographers say provides a glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic’s toll.
Population growth in the U.S. already was stagnant over the past several years due to immigration restrictions and a dip in fertility, but coronavirus-related deaths exacerbated that lethargic-growth trend, said William Frey, a senior fellow at The Brooking Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program.