The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Mar. 26 that population growth slowed in the majority of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, based on its Vintage 2025 population estimates.
This slowdown in growth affects communities across the country and highlights shifting migration patterns as well as demographic changes such as births and deaths. The data is used by policymakers and local governments to plan services and infrastructure.
Among the counties that grew between 2023 and 2024, nearly eight out of ten saw their growth slow or reverse direction in the following year. Counties already experiencing decline often saw those losses accelerate during this period. Metropolitan statistical areas were also affected: out of all metro areas tracked, more than three-quarters had slower growth from mid-2024 to mid-2025 compared to the previous year.
A significant factor behind these trends was a nationwide decrease in net international migration (NIM). Nine out of ten U.S. counties experienced lower NIM levels compared to last year; even among those not seeing a drop, there was no increase recorded. The largest impacts were felt by some of the country’s most populous counties—areas that typically see more births than deaths but lose residents through domestic migration while relying on international arrivals for overall growth.
“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,” explained George M. Hayward, a Census Bureau demographer. “With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”
Geographically, many fast-growing counties were located along the Southeast coast—including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia—with much of this expansion occurring at metro area edges especially in Texas. In contrast with previous years’ trends where large urban centers dominated gains from domestic movement within states or regions; smaller- to medium-sized counties collectively posted net increases while major urban cores lost residents domestically.
The report also notes that natural decrease (more deaths than births) persisted at similar levels seen over recent years but remains below its peak during earlier pandemic years when about three-fourths of all U.S. counties faced such declines.
Looking ahead, further detailed estimates breaking down populations by age groupings as well as race/ethnicity are scheduled for release later this summer according to Census Bureau plans.
