U.S. Population Growth Slows
The U.S. Census Bureau has announced that the country’s population growth rate is experiencing its slowest increase since the pandemic, largely due to a drop in immigration. In 2023, there was a temporary post-pandemic growth rate of 0.8%, which rose to 1.0% in 2024. However, this rate is expected to decline to 0.5% from 2024 to 2025—the lowest since COVID-19 hit.
This slowdown is attributed to a marked decrease in net international migration. The bureau highlighted that, while the birth and death rates have remained stable, the reduction in people moving in and out of the U.S. has led to this significant drop. Christine Hartley, an assistant director at the Census Bureau, pointed out that net immigration fell from 2.7 million to 1.3 million between July 2024 and June 2025. So, this drop is really the main reason we’re seeing a slowdown now.
Mark Perry, senior demographer at the Census Bureau, noted that some states, particularly those with low internal migration, had begun to rely heavily on international immigration for growth. The agency’s analysis reveals that states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island depended on international immigration for their population increases during 2023-2024. Although more births than deaths were reported in four of these states, migration played a larger role in their growth than natural changes.
In contrast, other states, such as Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah saw growth driven mainly by natural changes. The Census Bureau also mentioned that, due to the decline in international migration, only 30 states plus Washington, D.C. recorded significant growth from this source, down from 40 states the previous year. Conversely, internal migration became more significant, being the chief factor for change in 16 states, a rise from nine states the prior year.
The Census Bureau does not speculate on the reasons for this slowdown, though it notes that it aligns with ongoing discussions around immigration policy, particularly during Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. In March, the bureau plans to release updated estimates of the total U.S. population and its components as of July 1, 2025, which will include metropolitan and county-level data, as well as figures for Puerto Rico.
