Immigration rates dropped in every U.S. metropolitan area from July 2024 to July 2025 compared with the previous year, marking a nationwide slowdown after years of elevated immigration, according to an analysis published by The New York Times.
The Times highlighted many parts of the country where the decline was particularly steep, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Net immigration fell by roughly 72% in Denver, about 65% in New York City, and by more than 60% in Chicago. Border regions saw even greater declines, with El Paso seeing a drop of about 95%, reflecting what officials described as a near standstill in cross-border migration, the outlet reported.
The slowdown contributed to a broader cooling in population growth nationwide. According to data the bureau released March 26, metro areas collectively added about 1.7 million people between July 2024 and July 2025, down from roughly 3.1 million the previous year. The average growth rate fell to 0.6% in 2025 from 1.1% in 2024.
Metro areas located near the U.S.-Mexico border – which typically see higher rates of net international migration – experienced some of the steepest population growth slowdowns. Laredo, Texas’ growth rate fell from 3.2% to 0.2%, while Yuma, Arizona’s declined from 3.3% to 1.4%. El Centro in California shifted from 1.2% growth to a 0.7% population decline.
Major immigration destinations such as Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Harris County, Texas, also recorded significantly lower levels of incoming migrants in 2025 than in the year before. Large metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, similarly saw notable declines in immigration-driven growth compared with the previous year. Overall, nine out of 10 U.S. counties experienced lower net international migration than the year prior.
Census officials attributed the national decline in international migration in part to policy and enforcement changes implemented since mid-2024.
President Donald Trump has made immigration a central issue of his second term. He said in his State of the Union address that in the “past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.”
“After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unfettered and unchecked,” Trump said, “we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history, by far.”
Looking ahead, the bureau projected net international migration could decline by roughly 321,000 more people in the coming year if current trends continue.
According to the bureau, natural disasters also influenced migration patterns. Counties along Florida’s Gulf Coast lost residents after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Pinellas County saw a decline of nearly 12,000 residents, while Taylor County recorded the steepest county-level drop in the nation, a 2.2% decline. In western North Carolina, more than 2,000 residents left Buncombe County – home to Asheville – after the remnants of Helene destroyed homes and disrupted power to mountain towns.