The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Mar. 26 that population growth slowed in most of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to its Vintage 2025 population estimates.
This slowdown in growth is significant because it marks a shift from previous years when many counties were expanding more rapidly. The data show that nearly eight out of ten growing counties saw their pace of increase slow or even reverse into decline during this period.
Among metropolitan statistical areas, over three-quarters experienced slower growth compared to the prior year. Areas along the U.S.-Mexico border—such as Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California—saw some of the largest drops in their annual population growth rates. These changes are mainly attributed to a nationwide decline in net international migration (NIM), with nine out of ten counties experiencing lower NIM levels compared to the previous year.
George M. Hayward, a demographer at the Census Bureau, said: “The nation’s largest counties like those in the New York metro area are often international migration hubs, gaining large numbers of international migrants and losing people that move to other parts of the country via domestic migration. With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”
Despite overall declines in urban centers and large metro areas due to reduced NIM and ongoing domestic out-migration trends, some regions—especially along the Southeast coast including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia—continued to see strong county-level growth. Most notably among larger metro areas such as those in Texas where peripheral counties grew fastest.
In terms of demographic components: natural decrease (more deaths than births) affected about two-thirds (65%) of all U.S. counties for a third consecutive year—a lower proportion than seen during pandemic-era peaks but still substantial. Meanwhile domestic migration continued redistributing populations from major urban centers toward smaller or less populous locations.
Looking ahead, additional data releases by age groupings and demographic detail are scheduled for June by the Census Bureau with embargoes planned prior to public release.
