The United States is experiencing its most sluggish population growth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to a noticeable decline in migration, according to a recent announcement by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bureau reported a “brief post-pandemic uptick” in the population, noting a growth rate of 0.8% in 2023, which climbed to 1.0% in 2024. However, this momentum did not last, as the growth rate slowed significantly to 0.5% between 2024 and 2025, marking a new low in the post-COVID era.

A substantial decline in net international migration, which refers to the movement of people between the U.S. and other nations, has been identified as a major contributor to this slowdown. Meanwhile, the natural population change, reflecting the difference between births and deaths, has remained relatively constant.

Christine Hartley, the assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau, highlighted this in a news release. “The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million during the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” she explained. “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.”

As depicted in a Getty Images photo by AscentXmedia, the U.S. population growth rate has indeed reached a post-pandemic low, underscoring the significant impact of reduced migration on the country’s demographic trends.

“With natural change less of a contributor to growth than it used to be, some states — especially those without positive net domestic migration — are dependent on international migration for their population to grow,” Marc Perry, senior demographer at the U.S. Census Bureau, said in a statement. “The large drops in growth rates we see for some states this past year is a reminder of that.”

Several states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, relied on net international migration for population growth between 2023 and 2024. The bureau acknowledges that four of the five saw more births than deaths, but said that migration played a larger role in population growth for those states than natural changes. On the other hand, natural change fueled growth for other states, such as Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.

Groups of migrants of different nationalities arrive at the Rio Grande, to cross it and surrender to the American authorities on Feb. 19, 2024. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“When international migration slowed between 2024 and 2025, states throughout the country felt it, particularly those that relied on it most heavily for growth,” the bureau said.

The drop in intentional migration meant that population gain from net international migration was the largest component for just 30 states and Washington, D.C., down from 40 states and D.C. the year before. The bureau also found that domestic migration was more prominent overall, becoming the largest component of change for 16 states, up from nine the year before.

Migrants wait in line to enter the shelter set up by the authorities for migrants as migrants wait for an appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) one application in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on May 23, 2023.  (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Census Bureau did not speculate on causes, though the slowdown coincides with President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid a renewed debate over immigration enforcement and border policy.

In March, the bureau will release its estimates of the July 1, 2025, population totals and components of change for the U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and counties. It will also release population totals for Puerto Rico municipalities.