What is the story about?
The US is witnessing a slow population growth, with border areas along Mexico experiencing the steepest decline under the Trump administration, according to the country's Census Bureau.
According to the data, America's population has taken a hit due to a decrease in immigration and hurricanes that forced people to leave parts of the Gulf Coast. Last year, several metro areas and counties saw slower population gains.
The figures, spanning the year up to July 2025, capture the early months of Donald Trump’s second term and the initial phase of his administration’s immigration crackdown.
Some 40 per cent of US counties are now experiencing net population loss, with large cities seeing especially sharp declines in immigration.
Three places along the US-Mexico border showed particularly worrying trends. Laredo, Texas, where the growth rate fell from 3.2 per cent in 2024 to 0.2 per cent in 2025; Yuma, Arizona, where it fell from 3.3 per cent to 1.4 per cent; and El Centro, California, where it fell from 1.2 per cent to -0.7 per cent.
The shift in population was noted because of lower levels of immigration. The bureau said that all three places witnessed a growth in 2024 due to an influx of immigration.
Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, said, "That pattern suggests a sharper rise-and-fall effect in border regions, where international migration plays a more central role in year-to-year population change."
As in 2024, the largest numbers of immigrants in 2025 were concentrated in counties that include Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles. However, these counties saw a sharp decline in immigrant numbers. According to the United States Census Bureau, nine out of ten US counties recorded lower immigration levels in 2025 compared to 2024.
Meanwhile, two destructive hurricanes, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, struck Gulf Coast counties in Florida in the fall of 2024, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage. The storms also led to residents leaving the affected areas, according to population estimates.
According to the data, America's population has taken a hit due to a decrease in immigration and hurricanes that forced people to leave parts of the Gulf Coast. Last year, several metro areas and counties saw slower population gains.
The figures, spanning the year up to July 2025, capture the early months of Donald Trump’s second term and the initial phase of his administration’s immigration crackdown.
Where were the sharpest declines seen?
Some 40 per cent of US counties are now experiencing net population loss, with large cities seeing especially sharp declines in immigration.
Three places along the US-Mexico border showed particularly worrying trends. Laredo, Texas, where the growth rate fell from 3.2 per cent in 2024 to 0.2 per cent in 2025; Yuma, Arizona, where it fell from 3.3 per cent to 1.4 per cent; and El Centro, California, where it fell from 1.2 per cent to -0.7 per cent.
The shift in population was noted because of lower levels of immigration. The bureau said that all three places witnessed a growth in 2024 due to an influx of immigration.
Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, said, "That pattern suggests a sharper rise-and-fall effect in border regions, where international migration plays a more central role in year-to-year population change."
What's the reason behind the decline?
As in 2024, the largest numbers of immigrants in 2025 were concentrated in counties that include Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles. However, these counties saw a sharp decline in immigrant numbers. According to the United States Census Bureau, nine out of ten US counties recorded lower immigration levels in 2025 compared to 2024.
Meanwhile, two destructive hurricanes, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, struck Gulf Coast counties in Florida in the fall of 2024, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage. The storms also led to residents leaving the affected areas, according to population estimates.
