U.S. population growth slowed between July 2024 and July 2025, rising by 1.8 million people (0.5%) to a total population of 341.8 million — the slowest growth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Census Bureau attributed the slowdown to a sharp decline in immigration, with net international migration falling 53.8% from 2.7 million to 1.3 million, while births and deaths remained relatively stable.
All four census regions grew, but the Midwest stood out as the only region where every state gained population, aided by slight natural increase in some states and positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade.
State-level trends varied, with South Carolina showing the fastest growth at 1.5%, and five states — California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia — losing population.
The U.S. population growth slowed last year amid a historic immigration low, increasing by only 1.8 million between July 2024 and July 2025 to an overall 341.8 million, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
According to the bureau, the latest statistics mark the country’s slowest population growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population increased by just 0.2% in 2021. The bureau also noted that the population grew significantly between 2023 and 2024, with a 3.2 million — or 1% — increase, which was the fastest annual population growth rate recorded since 2006.
In a press release, Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau, attributed the 0.5% increase in population to reduced immigration and pointed out that net international migration dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million between 2024 and 2025 — a 53.8% decrease.
“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,” she said.
The bureau found that the population grew across all four census regions, but the Midwest was the only region where every state gained population. The data show that the region appears to be experiencing a boom after a population decline in 2021 and small growth in 2022, since the Midwest’s population suddenly “grew solidly” in 2023 and 2024 as well as 2025. In some Midwest states, there were slightly more births than deaths, and Marc Perry, senior demographer at the Census Bureau, said that the Midwest also saw “positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade.”
Only five states experienced population decline between 2024 and 2025: California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia. South Carolina was the nation’s fastest-growing state, increasing its population by 1.5% thanks to domestic migration. Idaho, North Carolina, and Texas also saw notable population increases driven by domestic migration.
According to the Bureau, if current immigration trends continue, “net international migration is projected to be approximately 321,000 by July 2026, representing another decline of nearly 1 million since July 1, 2025.”