New Census data captures a country in motion. Rising housing costs, a sharp decline in international migration, and a growing search for affordability are driving residents out of high-cost markets and into more affordable ones.
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau tracks how the American population is shifting — through births, deaths, domestic moves, and international migration. The most recent data, capturing July 2024 to July 2025, tells a clear story: growth has slowed. About 80% of U.S. counties saw their populations decline or grow more slowly than the year before, driven largely by a historic drop in international migration in the first year of the current administration.1 Behind that national slowdown, local stories diverge sharply. Three stand out: Los Angeles County, the Texas suburbs, and Florida.
National snapshot · July 2024 – July 2025
Where the numbers landed this year
of U.S. counties saw population decline or slower growth
Texas — largest state population gain
California — largest state population loss
counties recorded lower net international migration
Los Angeles County Losing Significant Population
Los Angeles County, home to 9.7 million people and the economic engine of the world's fourth-largest economy, continues to lose residents. Between 2024 and 2025, the county lost 54,000 people, driven overwhelmingly by domestic out-migration — more people are leaving LA for other parts of the country than are moving in. Several forces are behind this trend:
Housing costs remain punishingly high. In 2025, median rent in LA County was $2,800, well above the $1,700 that is affordable to the median renter household. For many residents, leaving is no longer a choice. It is the only option.
International migration has slowed sharply. Net international migration to LA County fell from 92,000 in 2024 to just 29,000 in 2025, a 68% drop in a single year. This mirrors a national trend: nine out of ten U.S. counties saw lower international migration levels in 2025.2 With current federal immigration policies in place, these flows are unlikely to recover soon.
9 in 10 U.S. counties saw lower international migration in 2025.
Wildfire recovery remains stalled. More than 200,000 Angelenos lost their homes in the 2025 LA County fires.3 As of January 2026, just 10 had been rebuilt, leaving many displaced residents with no choice but to relocate.4
California was just one of five states — alongside Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia — to experience population decline between 2024 and 2025. Though California lost just 9,000 residents, a modest figure for a state of 39 million, it recorded the largest absolute decline of any state, as out-migration and a sharp drop in international arrivals continued to outpace births and in-movers.
Texas Suburbs Continue to Grow
Texas metro areas tell a starkly different story. The second most populous state gained more than 391,000 residents in 2025, the largest absolute increase of any state, and continues to outpace the rest of the country. But growth is not evenly distributed. Around Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin, a clear pattern is emerging: residents are leaving urban cores for the suburbs.
In all three metro areas, core urban counties lost more domestic residents than they gained: Dallas County lost 46,000 net domestic migrants, with neighboring Tarrant County losing another 7,000. Harris County, home to Houston, lost 43,000, and Travis County, home to Austin, lost 6,500.
Where did those residents go? To the outer suburbs, where housing costs are lower and the cost of living is more manageable. Collin County, north of Dallas, absorbed 24,000 net domestic migrants. Montgomery County, north of Houston, gained 22,000. These two suburban counties alone captured a significant share of the region's reshuffling — a pattern consistent with broader national trends, where the nation's 50 largest counties collectively lost more than 637,000 domestic migrants while mid-sized and small counties picked up the gains.5
Dual Forces At Play In Florida
Florida ranked second in numeric population growth nationally, adding roughly 197,000 residents between 2024 and 2025. But beneath that headline, two very different trends are playing out at once.
Central Florida is booming. Domestic migrants are arriving in force, drawn by relatively affordable housing and growing job centers. Polk County, just south of Orlando, grew by 23,000 residents, a 2.7% jump for a county of 847,000, and the Lakeland–Winter Haven metro area posted the fourth-highest percentage growth in the country. Neighboring Osceola County added nearly 16,000 residents, bringing its total population to 482,000. Polk and Osceola are among several Central Florida counties experiencing this kind of sustained growth.
South Florida is shrinking. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties both lost residents, squeezed by the same forces affecting LA: domestic out-migration and a sharp decline in international arrivals. Miami-Dade County's population fell by 10,000, the result of a net domestic migration loss of 72,000 and 24,000 fewer international migrants compared to the prior year. As with Los Angeles, high costs are pushing residents toward more affordable alternatives — in this case, north to Central Florida or out of the state entirely.
These trends are playing out differently in every community across the country. See what's happening in yours with HousingWeaver's interactive Annual Population Change Map →.