Some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States are losing population, with the vast majority experiencing slower growth, according to new data from the US Census Bureau. The figures, released on Thursday, point to a nationwide drop in net international migration as the main driver, a trend coinciding with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“The nation’s largest counties like those in the New York metro area are often international migration hubs, gaining large numbers of international migrants and losing people that move to other parts of the country via domestic migration,” said George Hayward, a Census Bureau demographer. “With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”
Among the hardest-hit areas were Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego, while New York City saw its population drop for the first time in three years. In contrast, several mid-sized and smaller metro areas, including Austin, Raleigh, and Myrtle Beach, recorded significant growth. The data covers year-over-year changes between July 2024 and July 2025, compiled from births, deaths, and migration flows.
Overall, population growth slowed in most of the nation’s 3,143 counties. Among the 2,066 counties that gained residents between 2023 and 2024, nearly 80% saw their growth slow or reverse in 2025. The three areas with the steepest decreases are all along the southern border: Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California. On average, the growth rate in US metro areas stood at 0.6%, down from 1.1% the previous year.
The Census Bureau highlighted reduced domestic migration and a near-record low fertility rate of 1.6 births per woman as contributing factors, but the main driver was the decline in immigration. “The vast majority of the slowdown of immigration is because of policy shifts,” said Eric Finnigan, vice president of demographics research at John Burns Research and Consulting. Trump, who promised the largest deportation programme in US history, has dramatically reduced border crossings and boosted interior enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that close to three million illegal immigrants had left the country in his second term, including over 675,000 deportations.
