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

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the country's population is growing at its slowest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it cited a decline in migration as a key factor.

The bureau noted that the country saw a "brief post-pandemic uptick" in 2023 of 0.8% growth and an even higher rate of 1.0% in 2024. However, between 2024 and 2025 the growth rate slowed to just 0.5%, a post-COVID low. 

The bureau cited "a sizeable reduction in net international migration," or people moving between the U.S. and other countries, as a "major reason for the slowdown." It said that at the same time, natural changes to population - the difference between the number of births and deaths - remained relatively stable.

"The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025," Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau, said in a news release. "With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today."

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"With natural change less of a contributor to growth than it used to be, some states - especially those without positive net domestic migration - are dependent on international migration for their population to grow," Marc Perry, senior demographer at the U.S. Census Bureau, said in a statement. "The large drops in growth rates we see for some states this past year is a reminder of that."

Several states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, relied on net international migration for population growth between 2023 and 2024. The bureau acknowledges that four of the five saw more births than deaths, but said that migration played a larger role in population growth for those states than natural changes. On the other hand, natural change fueled growth for other states, such as Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.

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"When international migration slowed between 2024 and 2025, states throughout the country felt it, particularly those that relied on it most heavily for growth," the bureau said.

The drop in intentional migration meant that population gain from net international migration was the largest component for just 30 states and Washington, D.C., down from 40 states and D.C. the year before. The bureau also found that domestic migration was more prominent overall, becoming the largest component of change for 16 states, up from nine the year before.

The Census Bureau did not speculate on causes, though the slowdown coincides with President Donald Trump's re-election, amid a renewed debate over immigration enforcement and border policy.

In March, the bureau will release its estimates of the July 1, 2025, population totals and components of change for the U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and counties. It will also release population totals for Puerto Rico municipalities.