New Census Bureau estimates show U.S. population growth slowed to 0.5% between mid-2024 and mid-2025, driven primarily by a steep decline in net international migration.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Population growth in the United States slowed markedly between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, as the nation added just 1.8 million people, or 0.5%, according to newly released Vintage 2025 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The growth rate represents the slowest expansion since the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, when population growth fell to a historic low of 0.2% in 2021. The slowdown follows a sharp rebound in 2024, when the population increased by 3.2 million people, or 1.0%, marking the fastest annual growth rate since 2006.

Census officials said the primary driver of the slowdown was a sharp reduction in international migration. Net international migration declined from 2.7 million to 1.3 million between July 2024 and June 2025, a drop described by the agency as a historic decline in net international migration.

“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”

Population growth slowed or population losses accelerated across nearly the entire country. All four census regions and every state except Montana and West Virginia experienced slower growth or deeper decline during the period.

Despite the national slowdown, the Midwest recorded population gains in every state between July 2024 and July 2025, making it the only region to do so. After experiencing population losses in 2021 and modest growth in 2022, the Midwest posted solid gains in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Census data show the region added 244,385 residents in 2025, following increases of 259,938 in 2023 and 386,231 in 2024. Modest improvements in natural change—births minus deaths—contributed to the growth in several Midwestern states.

“From July 2024 through June 2025, the Midwest also saw positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade,” said Marc Perry, senior demographer at the Census Bureau. While the net domestic migration gain was relatively small at 16,000, Perry said it marked a notable reversal from losses of 175,000 or more in both 2021 and 2022.

Ohio and Michigan exemplified the shift. Ohio recorded net domestic migration of 11,926 in 2025, compared with a loss of 32,482 in 2021, while Michigan posted a gain of 1,796 in 2025 after losing 28,290 residents domestically in 2021.

At the state level, South Carolina emerged as the nation’s fastest-growing state. Fueled by net domestic migration of 66,622, the state’s population grew by 79,958 between July 2024 and July 2025, an increase of 1.5%. While strong, the rate was slightly below South Carolina’s 1.8% growth in 2024. Idaho followed with 1.4% growth, and North Carolina grew by 1.3%, with both states benefiting primarily from domestic migration.

Texas recorded population growth of 1.2%, driven by a combination of natural change and net international migration, though the latter slowed substantially compared with the prior year. Utah’s population increased by 1.0%, largely due to natural change, as its previously strong international migration component diminished.

Nationally, the U.S. population reached 341.8 million by July 1, 2025. Census data show that growth between mid-2024 and mid-2025 was half the rate recorded from 2023 to 2024, a slowdown largely attributable to lower levels of international migration. Net international migration totaled 1.3 million during the period, representing a 53.8% decline from the previous year. If current trends persist, Census projections indicate net international migration could fall to approximately 321,000 by July 2026, according to details outlined in the Census Bureau’s Random Samplings analysis.

Natural change for the nation totaled nearly 519,000 between July 2024 and June 2025, roughly unchanged from the prior year. While higher than levels recorded during the pandemic, the figure remains well below earlier decades. In 2017, natural change exceeded 1.1 million, and during the 2000-to-2010 decade it ranged from 1.6 million to 1.9 million annually.

All four census regions posted population growth during the period, but at reduced rates. Growth in the South fell below 1.0% for the first time since 2021, declining from 1.4% between 2023 and 2024 to 0.9% between mid-2024 and mid-2025. The Northeast experienced the largest slowdown, with growth falling from 0.8% to 0.2% over the same intervals.

At the state level, all but five states—California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia—recorded population growth. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia experienced positive natural change, up slightly from the prior year and a significant improvement from 2021, when only 24 states and the District of Columbia reported more births than deaths.

Every state and the District of Columbia recorded lower net international migration compared with the previous year, though migration levels remained positive nationwide. Florida, Texas, California, and New York posted the highest net international migration totals during the period. Thirty-one states recorded positive net domestic migration, up from 27 the year before, though Florida’s domestic migration fell sharply from earlier peaks, dropping to 22,517 in 2025. Alabama surpassed Florida with net domestic migration of 23,358.

Detailed tables for the Top 10 Most Populous States, Top 10 States by Numeric Growth, and Top 10 States by Percent Growth are included in the Census Bureau’s release.

Puerto Rico’s population declined by 17,686 to 3.2 million between July 2024 and July 2025, a decrease of 0.6%. The territory has experienced population decline nearly every year since 2005. Census data show negative natural change remained the primary driver, with deaths far exceeding births during the period, alongside a reversal from positive to negative net migration.

Census officials said the latest international migration estimates incorporate methodological improvements, including additional administrative data and adjustments to short-term projection methods, reflected in updated national population totals. The Population Estimates Program, which produces annual estimates using data on births, deaths, and migration since the 2020 Census, will release additional metropolitan and county-level data later this year, according to the agency’s release schedule.