US Population Growth Slows to 0.5% on Migration Drop

The United States experienced its slowest population growth since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding just 1.8 million people between July 2024 and July 2025, according to estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The nation's population reached 341.8 million by the end of June 2025, reflecting a growth rate of 0.5 percent, a sharp deceleration from the previous year's increase of 3.2 million people, or about 1 percent.

The primary driver of the slowdown was a historic decline in net international migration, which fell to 1.3 million from 2.7 million over the same period. Births and deaths remained relatively stable compared to the prior year, contributing a natural increase of about 519,000 people. "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," said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau.

This period spans the final months of President Joe Biden's administration, which implemented tighter immigration restrictions, and the initial months of President Donald...