Maricopa County top spot for Americans relocating in 2022, Census finds

(AP) - Several large, urban counties across the United States gained residents or stemmed population declines in the year ending last July after losing residents in the previous 12-month period amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates released Thursday.

Population change is driven by migration, both within the U.S. as people move around inside the country and from international trends as people arrive from abroad. It also depends on whether births outpace deaths or vice versa.

Here’s a look at what drove population change in the 10 largest U.S. counties from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022.