Population growth slows dramatically amid immigration crackdown

National population growth in the U.S. slowed dramatically in 2025 as international immigration declined under President Donald Trump, according to newly released estimates.

The country’s total population grew by about 1.8 million in the 12 months through July 1, reaching 331.5 million, according to the estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. It represented a growth rate of about 0.5%, the lowest since 2021, when borders were shut and deaths spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. added just 1.26 million residents through international immigration from July 2024 to July 2025, a period that includes the first six months of Trump’s second term. That was down sharply from the record-high influx of 2.7 million in 2024, under President Joe Biden.

Trump took office vowing to curtail illegal immigration, arguing in part that such restrictions would restore the housing market to affordability. So far, national home prices continue to grow, but if current trends continue that may change.

“Population growth slowing in this way signals a decrease in demand for housing, and it perhaps suggests that the national housing shortage is shrinking,” says Realtor.com® senior economist Joel Berner.

The Realtor.com economics team estimated last year that the nation had a shortfall of about 4 million homes, a gap that could shrink if construction outpaces population growth, or the population begins to shrink outright.

“If births and deaths continue to hold steady while international net migration continues to slow, there will be fewer households in the United States that need to be housed in the future. This will put downward pressure on home prices, improving affordability for Americans,” says Berner.

Last year, the country added about 514,000 people through natural growth, or births minus deaths. Most experts believe natural growth will drop to zero sometime around 2030, as the large baby boomer cohort reaches natural life expectancy.

These states grew the most and least

South Carolina saw the biggest percentage increase in population last year, growing by 1.5%. Domestic migration (people moving from other states) fueled most of the growth, with international immigration also contributing. Natural growth played no role, with deaths slightly outnumbering births.

In addition, Idaho, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah saw strong annual population growth of more than 1%.

Berner noted that many of the states with the strongest population growth are also where homebuilders have concentrated their activity recently, including the Carolinas, Texas, and Idaho.

“This helps these states to grow without major pinches to the supply of homes there, as newly built inventory is consistently coming online,” says Berner.

Vermont recorded the biggest percentage drop, with a population decline of 0.3%. International migration to Vermont plunged more than 50% in 2025 to just 623 new immigrant residents.

Meanwhile, the Green Mountain State lost 726 residents to net domestic migration, and deaths outnumbered births there by a whopping 1,769.

Additional states with declining populations in 2025 included Hawaii, West Virginia, New Mexico, and California.