Washington, DC — The U.S. population reached nearly 342 million people in 2025, but the nation’s growth rate slowed sharply as immigration declined following President Donald Trump’s return to office, according to new estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau reported a 0.5% population growth rate in 2025, down from nearly 1% in 2024, which had been the fastest growth in two decades and was largely driven by immigration. Net international migration increased by about 1.3 million people in 2025, less than half of the 2.8 million added the year before. Census officials project that if current trends continue, immigration gains by mid-2026 could fall to just over 320,000 people.
Natural population growth also remained historically low. Births exceeded deaths by 519,000 people in 2025, a modest rebound from pandemic-era lows but far below levels seen in the early 2000s. The slowdown mirrors previous periods of crisis, including 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and 1919 during the Spanish flu.
Several states traditionally fueled by immigration saw growth stall or reverse. California recorded a net population loss after a sharp drop in new immigrants, while Florida and New York also saw significant declines in both domestic and international migration. Meanwhile, South Carolina, Idaho, and North Carolina posted the fastest growth rates, while Texas, Florida, and North Carolina added the most residents numerically.
Demographers noted the figures reflect the early stages of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge and warned growth could slow further in the coming year.
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