Population growth in the United States slowed between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The country’s population increased by 1.8 million people, or 0.5%, during this period, marking the slowest growth since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The slowdown follows a notable increase in growth from the previous year when the U.S. added 3.2 million people and grew by 1.0%, which was the fastest annual rate since 2006.
“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” 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.”
All four census regions experienced slower population growth or accelerated declines during this time frame, with only Montana and West Virginia not following this trend.
The Midwest was unique among regions as all its states saw population increases from July 2024 to July 2025. The region also saw a turnaround in domestic migration patterns: “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. “And while the net domestic migration was a relatively modest 16,000, this is still a notable turnaround from the substantial domestic migration losses in 2021 and 2022 of -175,000 or greater.” Ohio and Michigan exemplified this shift with both states moving from negative to positive net domestic migration figures.
South Carolina led states in percentage growth (1.5%), primarily due to an increase in net domestic migration of more than 66,000 people; Idaho (1.4%) and North Carolina (1.3%) followed closely behind with similar trends driving their growth rates. Texas experienced rapid growth (1.2%) resulting from both natural change and international migration despite reduced gains from international sources compared to previous years.
The national population reached approximately 341.8 million as of July 1, 2025. Net international migration fell by nearly half compared to last year’s figure—a drop projected to continue into next year based on current trends outlined on the Census Bureau’s Random Samplings blog.
Natural change—the difference between births and deaths—remained stable at about half a million but has declined significantly since previous decades when it routinely exceeded one million per year.
While every region posted slower gains than recent years, five states—California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia—lost residents over this period. Thirty-three states plus Washington D.C., however, had more births than deaths.
Net international migration decreased across all states but remained positive overall; Florida (178,674), Texas (167,475), California (109,278), and New York (95,634) recorded some of the highest levels between mid-2024 and mid-2025.
Domestic migration trends shifted as well: thirty-one states had more arrivals than departures—a slight increase over last year—with Alabama surpassing Florida for incoming residents via domestic moves for this reporting period.
Puerto Rico continued its long-term population decline with a loss of nearly 18,000 residents due mostly to higher death rates outpacing births; it also saw negative net migration after recording gains last year.
The latest estimates include updated methodologies that use more detailed administrative data at local levels along with improvements in short-term projections as explained on the Census Bureau’s blog.
These annual estimates are produced using current data on births, deaths and migrations since the most recent decennial census (conducted in 2020). They cover national totals as well as state-level figures including Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and its municipios.
In March of next year, embargoed estimates will be released for metropolitan areas and counties nationwide along with updated Puerto Rico statistics; further information can be found on the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program release schedule.
With each annual update cycle all past yearly estimates are revised back to reflect changes since the last decennial census—users are advised that comparisons should only be made within individual estimate vintages due to periodic methodological changes.
