Slow Growth Impacts Nation’s Largest Counties Hardest Population growth slowed in a majority of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the Vintage 2025 population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Among the 2,066 counties that experienced growth between 2023 and 2024, nearly 80% saw their growth slow or reverse in 2025. In many cases, counties already in decline saw losses accelerate. Thirty-one of the 387 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (metro areas) had slower growth between 2024 and 2025 compared to the prior year. The three metro areas with the steepest declines in population growth rates were along the U.S.-Mexico border: Laredo, Texas, which saw its growth rate drop from 3.2% to 0.2%; Yuma, Arizona, which fell from 3.3% to 1.4%; and El Centro, California, which declined from 1.2% to -0.7%. These trends were largely driven by lower levels of net international migration (NIM), which declined nationwide. Nine out of 10 U.S. counties experienced reduced NIM between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, compared to the previous year. Only one in 10 counties saw no decline in international migration, and none experienced an increase. Some of the country’s most populous counties were hit hardest by the drop in NIM. These counties typically had higher natural growth rates due to more births than deaths but also faced negative net domestic migration—more people moving out than in from other regions. Combined with reduced NIM, this led to slower growth or, in some cases, population decline. George M.#yuma_arizona #us_census_bureau #laredo_texas #el_centro_california #george_m_hayward
