US population growth at post-COVID low amid decline in net international migration

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the country's colonisation is increasing astatine its slowest complaint since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it cited a diminution successful migration arsenic a cardinal factor.

The bureau noted that the state saw a "brief post-pandemic uptick" successful 2023 of 0.8% maturation and an adjacent higher complaint of 1.0% successful 2024. However, betwixt 2024 and 2025 the maturation complaint slowed to conscionable 0.5%, a post-COVID low. 

The bureau cited "a sizeable simplification successful nett planetary migration," oregon radical moving betwixt the U.S. and different countries, arsenic a "major crushed for the slowdown." It said that astatine the aforesaid time, earthy changes to colonisation — the quality betwixt the fig of births and deaths — remained comparatively stable.

"The slowdown successful U.S. colonisation maturation is mostly owed to a historical diminution successful nett planetary migration, which dropped from 2.7 cardinal to 1.3 cardinal successful the play from July 2024 done June 2025," Christine Hartley, adjunct part main for Estimates and Projections astatine the Census Bureau, said successful a quality release. "With births and deaths remaining comparatively unchangeable compared to the anterior year, the crisp diminution successful nett planetary migration is the main crushed for the slower maturation complaint we spot today."

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U.S. colonisation maturation complaint deed a post-pandemic low, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (AscentXmedia via Getty Images)

"With earthy alteration little of a contributor to maturation than it utilized to be, immoderate states — particularly those without affirmative nett home migration — are babelike connected planetary migration for their colonisation to grow," Marc Perry, elder demographer astatine the U.S. Census Bureau, said successful a statement. "The ample drops successful maturation rates we spot for immoderate states this past twelvemonth is simply a reminder of that."

Several states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, relied connected nett planetary migration for colonisation maturation betwixt 2023 and 2024. The bureau acknowledges that 4 of the 5 saw much births than deaths, but said that migration played a larger relation successful colonisation maturation for those states than earthy changes. On the different hand, earthy alteration fueled maturation for different states, specified arsenic Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.

Groups of migrants of antithetic nationalities get astatine the Rio Grande, to transverse it and surrender to the American authorities connected Feb. 19, 2024. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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"When planetary migration slowed betwixt 2024 and 2025, states passim the state felt it, peculiarly those that relied connected it astir heavy for growth," the bureau said.

The driblet successful intentional migration meant that colonisation summation from nett planetary migration was the largest constituent for conscionable 30 states and Washington, D.C., down from 40 states and D.C. the twelvemonth before. The bureau besides recovered that home migration was much salient overall, becoming the largest constituent of alteration for 16 states, up from 9 the twelvemonth before.

Migrants hold successful enactment to participate the structure acceptable up by the authorities for migrants arsenic migrants hold for an assignment done the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 1 exertion successful Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, connected May 23, 2023.  (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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The Census Bureau did not speculate connected causes, though the slowdown coincides with President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid a renewed statement implicit migration enforcement and borderline policy.

In March, the bureau volition merchandise its estimates of the July 1, 2025, colonisation totals and components of alteration for the U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and counties. It volition besides merchandise colonisation totals for Puerto Rico municipalities.