Overview
- The Census Bureau, which released new 2025 county and metro estimates Thursday, said average metro growth fell to 0.6% from 1.1% a year earlier.
- International migration dropped to about 1.3 million from roughly 2.8 million, a fall seen in nine out of ten counties and one that hit large hubs hard as Los Angeles County lost nearly 54,000 residents.
- Border metros saw the steepest slowdowns, with Laredo’s growth sliding from 3.2% to 0.2%, Yuma from 3.3% to 1.4%, and El Centro flipping from 1.2% growth to a 0.7% decline.
- Florida’s Gulf Coast counties lost residents after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including Pinellas County’s drop of nearly 12,000 and Taylor County’s largest rate decline at minus 2.2%.
- Gains clustered in the South and exurbs, led by Ocala, Florida, at 3.4%, signaling that if lower immigration persists many places will need to rethink housing, school capacity, and local labor needs.