Immigration Keeps Population From Declining in D.C. Region

Maryland and the District continue to lose residents to other places, but they make up for the loss by gaining immigrants, according to Census Bureau estimates to be released today.

Virginia came out a little ahead in the give-and-take with other states between July 2006 and July 2007, but it grew much more through immigration. The three jurisdictions had a net population gain of less than 1 percent for the year.

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In the past year, the Northeast and Midwest had a combined net loss of 558,901 residents, almost entirely to the South. At the same time, immigrants have flocked to the South and West, and the populations of some Southern and Western states have increased substantially, the estimates show.

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In the same period, Maryland grew by 0.3 percent, to 5,618,344, according to the estimates. It had a net loss of 36,270 residents to other states and lost 43,205 people to deaths, but it gained 17,704 immigrants and 77,910 newborns, for a net increase of 16,327 residents.

The District had a net loss of 3,141 residents to other states but gained 3,358 through immigration. Gains from immigration and births produced a population increase of 0.5 percent, to 588,292.

Virginia, which grew by 0.9 percent, to 7,712,091, managed to attract more residents from other states than it lost to them. But the net gain was 2,959 people, compared with 21,455 through immigration.