It was big news earlier this month when it was revealed that the population of Sioux Falls had surpassed a major milestone - exceeding 200,000 people for the first time.

But it's not just Sioux Falls that is adding people.

The entire state of South Dakota is welcoming a batch of new residents on a regular basis thanks to one of the highest birth rates in America.

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24/7 Wall St., using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program, puts the Mount Rushmore State at number five overall when it comes to the number of new births per 1,000 residents.

From July 2020 to July 2021 there were 10,843 births in South Dakota or 12.2 per every 1,000 people in the state. The national average is 10.8 births per 1,000 people.

That represents an uptick of 1.2% in the population due to new births.

STATES WITH HIGHEST BIRTH RATES (per 1,000 residents)

  1. Utah (13.8)
  2. Alaska (12.7)
  3. North Dakota (12.6)
  4. Texas (12.4)
  5. South Dakota (12.2)
  6. Louisiana (12.0)
  7. Nebraska (12.0)
  8. Oklahoma (11.9)
  9. Mississippi (11.8)
  10. Arkansas (11.6)

STATES WITH LOWEST BIRTH RATES (per 1,000 residents)

  1. Vermont (7.9)
  2. New Hampshire (8.3)
  3. Maine (8.3)
  4. Rhode Island (8.9)
  5. Connecticut (9.1)
  6. Oregon (9.4)
  7. Massachusetts (9.4)
  8. West Virginia (9.6)
  9. Montana (9.7)
  10. Florida (9.7)

Overall, the population in the United States rose 7.4% from 2010 to 2020 to 331,449,281 people.

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

LOOK: The most popular biblical baby names

To determine the most popular biblical baby names, Stacker consulted the name origin site Behind the Name and the Social Security Administration's baby names database then ranked the top 50 names from Behind the Name's Biblical Names origins list of 564 names, based on how many babies had been given these names in 2019. Click through to find out which biblical names have stood the test of time.

KEEP READING: What were the most popular baby names from the past 100 years?

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