United States population growth has slowed significantly alongside a sharp drop in immigration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The population growth in the U.S. grew only 0.5% to 1.8 million between 1 July 2024 and 1 July 2025.
This marks the slowest population growth since the COVID pandemic, when there was a historically low increase of 0.2% in 2021.
Assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau said the sharp decline in net international migration was the reason for the slower growth rate, as 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,” she said.
Despite immigrants accounting for much of the labour force growth following the pandemic, illegal border crossing has essentially come to a halt.
President Donald Trump has also cracked down on deporting undocumented immigrants, with immigration raids across the country and limited legal immigration.
This includes a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding, even as the agency faces backlash over its tactics following U.S. agents killing two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this month, among other shootings.
The economic impacts of the slowdown in population growth are still yet to be seen, but economists noted that immigration actions have reduced labour supply in some industries, including construction.
All U.S. regions saw population growth slow in 2025.
South Carolina was the fastest-growing state, driven by domestic migration and was followed by Idaho and North Carolina.
California, Hawaii, New Mexico and two other states saw their populations sink.
