The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Mar. 26 that population growth slowed in a majority 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 trend is significant because it shows changes in migration patterns and demographic shifts across the country. The slowdown affected not only smaller counties but also some of the largest metropolitan areas.
Among the more than two thousand counties that had grown between mid-2023 and mid-2024, nearly eight out of ten saw their growth either slow or reverse course by mid-2025. In many cases, those already experiencing decline saw losses accelerate further. Metropolitan statistical areas were similarly impacted: out of all metro areas nationwide, over three hundred experienced slower growth compared to the previous year. Areas along the U.S.-Mexico border such as Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California saw some of the steepest drops in population growth rates.
A key factor behind these changes was a decrease in net international migration (NIM), which declined nationwide for nine out of ten U.S. counties during this period. Counties that did not see a drop did not experience an increase either. The largest impacts from reduced NIM were felt by populous counties that typically gain residents through international migration but lose them through domestic moves within the United States.
George M. Hayward, a Census Bureau demographer 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.”
The Census Bureau also reported continued redistribution from larger to less populous counties due to domestic migration patterns. While metro areas grew faster than micro areas or rural territories overall during this period (0.6% vs lower rates), all categories experienced slower expansion compared with prior years.
