WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An estimated 315.1 million people will be living in the United States on New Year's Day, the Census Bureau said on Thursday.

That is an increase of 2.3 million people or 0.73 percent from January 1 this year. It is also a gain of 6.3 million people or 2.05 percent since the last census in April 2010.

"In January 2013, one birth is expected to occur every eight seconds in the United States and one death every 12 seconds," the Census Bureau said in a statement.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Sandra Maler)