Census data show slower U.S. metro population gains as immigration declines

Growth slowed across U.S. metro areas in 2025, according to Census estimates

The U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday that population growth slowed across many U.S. metro areas in 2025, citing weaker international migration and showing sharp differences across regions. The estimates, which cover one year through July 1, 2025, reflect the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term and the start of his administration’s immigration crackdown, according to the Associated Press report.

The Census Bureau said that most metro areas and counties had slower population gains last year and attributed that pattern primarily to a slowdown in international migration. A year earlier, the report said, an influx of immigrants helped urban areas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census Bureau’s figures showed that the average growth rate for metro areas dropped from 1.1% in 2024 to 0.6% in 2025. Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire, said migration is the main driver of whether areas grow or decline for many of the biggest metro cores where domestic out-migration continues and immigration becomes the key factor to offset low natural increase.

Border metros saw the steepest drops in growth rates

The report said the steepest population-growth slowdowns in 2025 were concentrated in communities along the southern border stretching from Arizona to Texas. In Laredo, Texas, the growth rate fell from 3.2% to 0.2%. The report said it declined from 3.3% to 1.4% in Yuma, Arizona, and that El Centro, California, went from 1.2% into negative territory at -0.7%.

The AP report linked these shifts to changes in immigration flows. It said all three areas had experienced growth in 2024 after an influx of thousands of immigrants.

Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, said the pattern suggests a “sharper rise-and-fall effect in border regions,” where international migration plays a central role in year-to-year population change.

Hurricane migration affected Florida’s Gulf Coast counties

Along the Florida Gulf Coast, the report said population estimates reflected another factor beyond immigration: residents leaving after hurricanes in fall 2024. The storms—Helene and Milton—tore through Gulf Coast counties in Florida and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage, the report said, and the hurricanes also caused residents to leave.

Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, lost almost 12,000 residents, the report said—ranking second among U.S. counties for population loss, behind Los Angeles County. The report said Pinellas relies on migration for growth because deaths outpace births by more than in any other American county.

It said Taylor County, a small rural community in Florida’s Big Bend area that was ravaged by the hurricanes, had the steepest county growth-rate decline in the country last year, with a -2.2% drop. Richard Doty, a research demographer at the University of Florida, said communities in the aftermath of the hurricanes may eventually rebuild their counts, but they have lost appeal in the period when insurance costs and other disruptions make moving in less likely.

The report also said hurricane-driven population losses extended beyond Florida, including to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, where Asheville is located. It said the county saw more than 2,000 residents leave in the months after remnants of Helene destroyed homes and disrupted power and communications.

Some metro growth powerhouses stayed on top as others slipped

Across the country, the report said some places that grew rapidly earlier in the decade remained strong. It said Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth were among the top metro growth areas in 2025, followed by Atlanta, Phoenix, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the report said some major metros slid in the rankings. It said the New York metro area moved from growing by the most people in 2024 to ranking No. 13 in 2025, attributing the change to a drop in immigrants.

The report also said several midsize metros in Florida and South Carolina had some of the largest growth rates. It named Ocala, Florida, led the nation at 3.4%. It said Ocala is about 80 miles (129 km) northwest of Orlando and is known for its horse farms. The report said the next fastest were metro Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Lakeland, Florida; and Punta Gorda, Florida, about 35 miles (56.3 km) north of Fort Myers.

Exurban areas attracted many movers, while births still mattered

The report said far-out suburbs were top destinations for people moving within the United States. It cited Collin County, Texas, outside Dallas; Montgomery County, Texas, outside Houston; Pinal County, Arizona, outside Phoenix; and Pasco and Polk counties outside Tampa.

It also said births continued to support some areas even when net migration slowed. The report said New York had more people moving out than moving in, but births allowed the metro area to gain more than 32,000 residents. It said the New York metro area led the nation in natural increase—births outpacing deaths—followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metros.

For metros where deaths outpaced births, the report said Pittsburgh and several Florida communities with large senior populations had the largest losses, including the Sarasota, Daytona Beach and Tampa metro areas. It said the two Texas metro areas topped natural increase largely because of their age structure and because they gained more people than anywhere else in the U.S., Helen You said.