Population growth in US metro areas slows, data shows

By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - Major U.S. cities have experienced a population decline, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Thursday, which the White House touted as the result of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Although the U.S. population grew by 1.8 million people last year, the Census review found an average 0.6% increase in population growth in metropolitan areas in the 12 months ending July 1, 2025 - down from an average 1.1% in increase in the year to July 1, 2024.

The three metropolitan areas with the steepest declines are all located along the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Those areas are Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California.

Laredo, which had growth of 3.2% in 2023/2024, only saw a 0.2% increase in the 2024/2025 period. Meanwhile, Yuma went from 3.3% to 1.4%, and El Centro from 1.2% to -0.7%.

The White House said the statistic reflected the success of Trump's border security policies. Trump began his second term in office on January 20, 2025.

Nine in 10 U.S. counties experienced lower net international migration during the 2024-2025 period when compared with the year before, the bureau said. It added that the one in 10 counties that did not see a drop in international migration did not see an increase either.

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia had the fastest-growing counties, the bureau said.