Lower fertility rates, declining births and rising death rates will all contribute to a decline in the U.S. population in the second half of the century, according to a Nov. 9 report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some factors, like higher mortality rates due to the effects of COVID-19, are shorter term, but others, like the decline in fertility rates, are "likely to continue into the future," the release states. "Incorporating additional years of data on births, deaths and international migration into our projections process resulted in a slower pace of population growth through 2060 than was previously projected."
Given this, depending on immigration patterns, the U.S. population is expected "to reach a high of nearly 370 million in 2080 before edging downward to 366 million in 2100," the Census Bureau report notes.
It is the first report of its kind released that accounts for the impact of COVID-19 on future population projections.