Population growth in the United States slowed to 0.5% between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The increase of 1.8 million people marks the slowest annual growth since the early COVID-19 pandemic period in 2021.
“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 growth or accelerated declines, except Montana and West Virginia.
The Midwest was unique among regions as all its states gained population during this period. After previous years of population loss or slow gains, the Midwest added nearly a quarter-million residents (244,385) from July 2024 to July 2025. This change was supported by slight increases in natural change—births minus deaths—in some 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. “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.”
States such as Ohio and Michigan shifted from significant losses earlier in the decade to modest gains by mid-2025.
South Carolina led all states with a population increase of nearly 80,000 people (1.5%), driven primarily by net domestic migration gains of over 66,000 individuals. Idaho (1.4%) and North Carolina (1.3%) also grew due to similar trends in domestic movement within the country.
Texas recorded strong growth (1.2%), supported by both natural change and international migration despite slowing gains from immigration overall. Utah’s growth (1%) stemmed mainly from natural increase rather than immigration.
Nationally, between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025:
– The U.S. added about half as many new residents as it did between mid-2023 and mid-2024.
– Net international migration fell sharply—by more than half—from over two-and-a-half million people to just under one-and-a-half million.
– If these patterns continue, projections suggest that net international migration could fall further by nearly one million people through July of next year.
– Natural change remained steady at around half a million but is still lower than pre-pandemic levels; it used to be more than double that amount just seven years ago.
Every region showed some level of population gain but at reduced rates compared with recent years:
– The South’s growth rate dipped below one percent for only its second time since before COVID-19.
– The Northeast experienced its largest drop-off: down from eight-tenths of a percent last year to two-tenths now.
Only five states—California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia—lost population during this period.
Thirty-three states plus Washington D.C., had more births than deaths—a higher figure than recent years but still much lower than previous decades.
Levels of net international migration declined across every state but remained positive overall; Florida had over twice as many immigrants as any other state besides Texas and California but saw sharply lower numbers compared with past years.
Net domestic migration was positive for thirty-one states; Alabama overtook Florida for eighth place on that measure after Florida’s numbers fell substantially compared with prior periods.
Puerto Rico’s population continued its long-term decline: dropping by nearly eighteen thousand residents mainly because deaths outnumbered births almost two-to-one—a trend consistent since before COVID-19—and because more people left than arrived during this period after briefly reversing course last year.
The latest estimates incorporate improved methods using additional administrative data sources at state levels along with changes made to short-term projection techniques affecting monthly national totals; further details are available on the Census Bureau blog.
These figures come from annual calculations based on current birth records, death certificates and both foreign and internal movements since results were last collected nationwide during the decennial census. They include updates covering total counts as well as voting-age populations for each state plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and smaller localities nationwide.
In March there will be embargoed releases offering finer breakdowns by metropolitan area as well as county-level statistics; information about when those data will become available can be found on the Population Estimates Program schedule online.
Each annual release revises prior-year estimates back through time so comparisons should always use data calculated under matching methodologies; older versions are archived on an FTP site maintained by the Census Bureau.
