Alabama’s largest county is shrinking, and the main culprit is clear. While Jefferson County, like most of Alabama, isn’t making enough babies to keep up its population, the much larger factor is that people keep moving away.

And not just a few people. Lots of people – thousands per year – are moving out of Jefferson County, home to Birmingham and by far the most populous county in the state.

[Can’t see the map? Click here.]

About 3,800 more people moved out of than into Jefferson County between 2021 and 2022, according to recently released population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a net loss of more than 10 people per day due to migration – and that’s including international numbers, where Jefferson continues to gain population. Jefferson County added 675 people through international migration in 2022, leading the state.

Looking only at domestic migration, or the number of people moving between Jefferson County and somewhere else in the United States, Jefferson County lost a net of nearly 4,500 people that year.

No other county came close in terms of raw population loss from migration. Only one other county – Mobile, the second largest county in the state, for now – lost more than 1,000 people through migration.

[Can’t see the table? Click here.]

In Mobile County’s case, about 1,200 more people moved out than moved in.

Meanwhile, some of the fastest-growing counties in the state saw that surge buoyed by big migration numbers. Baldwin County, home to Alabama’s beaches and a popular retirement destination, saw a net gain of nearly 7,300 people due to migration. That was a 3% boost in just a year for Alabama’s fourth-largest county.

RELATED: These were Alabama’s fastest-growing counties in 2022

Madison County, home to Huntsville – Alabama’s largest city – also saw a huge boost to its population thanks to migration numbers. About 6,400 more people moved into than out of Madison County from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022.

RELATED: These two Alabama counties are adding 19 people per day

But migration isn’t the only component of population change – births and deaths make up a major piece of the pie. Over the last few years as Alabama has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, the state as a whole has seen more deaths than births, something that never happened in the state’s history prior to the pandemic.

That trend continued into 2022, even as the pandemic ebbed. Alabama saw about 8,600 more deaths than births between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022 according to the Census, but the state managed to grow thanks to a big injection of new arrivals.

Just eight of Alabama’s 67 counties saw more births than deaths in 2022, and Jefferson County wasn’t among them. Jefferson County recorded 608 more deaths than births from July to July, the highest natural loss of any county in the state, though just 0.1% of its population.

[Can’t see the table? Click here.]

Of the eight counties that grew, most were relatively fast-growing counties, often suburban areas or college towns home to younger than average populations. Lee County, home to Auburn University, saw about 500 more births than deaths, the highest net gain in the state.

Madison County was second with a net gain of around 400 people due to natural change, with Shelby County, a major suburban area in the Birmingham-Hoover metro, just behind.

Montgomery County, home to Alabama’s capital, came fourth on this list. It saw around 300 more births than deaths, but still managed to lose population overall due to its migration numbers – nearly 900 more people moved away than moved into Montgomery County from 2021 to 2022.

Tuscaloosa County, home to the University of Alabama, rounded out the top 5 with a net gain of 200 thanks to natural population change.

Baldwin County – the second fastest growing county in the state and the leader in net migration numbers – saw nearly 500 more deaths than births in 2022, highlighting demographic elements like its relatively high median age.

Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Or questions about Alabama that data may be able to answer? Email Ramsey Archibald at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here.