FILE - Travelers walk underneath an American flag displayed at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., U.S. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has contributed to a year-to-year drop in the U.S. growth rate.
Here’s what to know about the U.S. population, and what the Census Bureau is saying about its growth:
What is the US population?
By the numbers:
As of July 1, 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be at 341.8 million.
US population growth 2025
Big picture view:
Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, the U.S. population grew by 1.8 million (or 0.5%) to reach 341.8 million, according to population estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dig deeper:
The 0.5% growth rate was a sharp drop from 2024’s almost 1% growth rate, which was the highest since 2001 and was fueled by immigration.
What they're saying:
Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau, said births and deaths remained relatively stable in the U.S. between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, compared to the year prior, so the main reason for the slower growth rate was a decline in international migration.
For context:
In the past 125 years, the lowest growth rate was in 2021, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when the U.S. population grew by just 0.16%, or 522,000 people and immigration increased by just 376,000 people because of travel restrictions into the U.S. Before that, the lowest growth rate was just under 0.5% in 1919 at the height of the Spanish flu.
The backstory:
The latest data comes amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown after the Republican president returned to the White House in January 2025. Trump made a surge of migrants at the southern border a central issue in his winning 2024 presidential campaign.
The numbers made public Tuesday reflect change from July 2024 to July 2025, covering the end of President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and the first half of Trump's first year back in office.
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US population changes by state
Big picture view:
All but five U.S. states grew between July 2024 and July 2025. States that experienced population decline were California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia.
By the numbers:
South Carolina, Idaho and North Carolina had the highest year-over-year growth rates, ranging from 1.3% to 1.5%.
Texas, Florida and North Carolina added the most people in pure numbers.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Vintage 2025 population estimates released on Jan. 27, 2026, by the U.S. Census Bureau. Background information was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.