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 marks a shift from previous years when more counties experienced faster or steady growth. The data show that nearly eight out of ten counties that grew between 2023 and 2024 saw their growth slow or even reverse by the following year.
Among metropolitan areas, most—310 out of 387—also had slower growth rates compared to the prior year. The steepest declines were seen along the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California. According to George M. Hayward, a Census Bureau demographer: “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.”
Lower levels of net international migration were cited as a key factor behind this slowdown. Nine out of ten U.S. counties experienced lower net international migration levels during this period compared to the previous year.
Geographically, many fast-growing counties were located along the southeast coast in states such as Florida and Georgia. In contrast, larger metropolitan areas faced more pronounced slowdowns or declines due to reduced gains from both domestic and international migration.
Looking ahead, the Census Bureau plans to release additional demographic details by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin for various geographic levels in June. Each new annual estimate release also revises previous years’ data back to the last decennial census.
