Texas is closing the gap on California. Here is the definitive look at the 2026 US state population shifts
The landscape of American demographics is undergoing its most radical transformation in a generation. While California remains the most populous state in the USA in 2026 with roughly 38.5 million residents, the real story is the staggering acceleration of Texas and Florida.
Texas has officially crossed the 31 million threshold (~31.2M), fueled by an unrelenting influx of corporate relocations, tech hubs, and affordable housing markets. At its current trajectory, the Lone Star State is systematically narrowing the historic gap with California. Meanwhile, Florida holds down the #3 spot tightly at 23.1 million, driven by retirement booms and favorable tax climates that drain residents directly from northern regions.
The losers of this modern shift? Traditional heavyweights like New York (~19.3M) and Illinois (~12.4M) continue to experience net outbound migration.
Here is how the top 10 shapes up for 2026:
California (~38.5M)
Texas (~31.2M)
Florida (~23.1M)
New York (~19.3M)
Pennsylvania (~12.9M)
Illinois (~12.4M)
Ohio (~11.8M)
Georgia (~11.2M)
North Carolina (~11.0M)
Michigan (~10.0M)
The southern states of Georgia and North Carolina are rapidly climbing, threatening to shake up the middle tier of the top 10 over the next few years. This isn't just basic trivia—these numbers dictate political power, economic dominance, and infrastructure funding for the next decade.
The USA Leaders published a comprehensive demographic breakdown mapping out all fifty states, complete with precise growth percentages, birth rates, and migration metrics:
https://theusaleaders.com/blog/most-populated-states-in-america/