The growth of the United States’ population slowed significantly in 2025, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
As reported by the Census Bureau, this decline can primarily be attributed to an over 50% decrease in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million from July 2023 through July 2024 to 1.3 million from July 2024 through July 2025. Births and deaths remained relatively stable, according to a statement given by Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau.
Overall, the U.S. population only grew by 1.8 million, or 0.5%, in the July 2024 through July 2025 timeframe, representing the slowest growth since the COVID-19 pandemic and a steep decline from 2024’s decade-high 1.0% growth rate (adding 3.2 million people), which was mostly driven by a high level of international immigration.
Under the Trump administration’s push for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, the foreign-born U.S. population shrank by an estimated 1.5 million just between the months of January and June of 2025. The number of asylum seekers shrank drastically, too, from just under 2 million in 2024 to around 500 thousand in 2025.
According to estimates by the Census Bureau, this dropoff is projected to have continued into 2026 — it predicted an overall decrease in net international migration of 2.4 million people from the statistic’s high in 2024 to mid-2026, akin to a decline of 86%. This would bring it back into line with net international migration numbers in 2021 towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, though it is important to note that beginning in 2023, the Census Bureau adjusted its formula and began counting humanitarian migrants (such as asylum seekers and refugees) more thoroughly. So, the projected 2026 net international migration numbers would be at the same level as or lower than the 2021 figures that didn’t track these humanitarian migrants as comprehensively.
Certain states and regions have seen bigger drops in net migration than others. California, West Virginia, New Mexico, Vermont and Hawaii all saw a decrease in population; for California, West Virginia and Hawaii, 2025 marked their fourth straight year of demographic decline. All but three states (Montana, South Dakota, Mississippi) saw a decrease in net international migration between 2024 and 2025, with most reporting a decline between 50% and 70%.
As a region, the Midwest experienced substantial growth in 2025 for the third straight year, with all states seeing an increase in population. The South remains the fastest-growing part of the U.S., home to the fastest-growing state (South Carolina, for the second straight year) and another two with at least 1% population growth between 2024 and 2025 (North Carolina, Texas).
Looking forward to the comprehensive 2030 Census, which will determine federal representation for every state, the picture for which states will gain and lose seats in Congress is beginning to sharpen. According to 2025 estimates from the American Redistricting Project, Southern states are projected to gain a total of eight congressional seats (Texas is set to add the most, at four), and three Western states (Idaho, Utah, Arizona) are expected to add one each. Three Midwestern states (Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin) are expected to lose one apiece, the same as four other states in the northeast (Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island) and west (Oregon). California is projected to lose 4 of its congressional seats.