U.S. population growth slows after Trump border policies enacted

(The Center Square) – The growth in U.S. population slowed significantly from July 2024 to July 2025 as President Donald Trump’s border enforcement policies slowed international migration, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday.

The population grew by 1.8 million, or 0.5%, the slowest growth in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. The significant slowdown follows 2024’s high of 3.2 million people added to the country.

Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau attributed the slowdown in growth to a loss of net international migration.

“With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration” led to the change, said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau.

South Carolina claimed the spot as the fastest-growing state in the nation. The Palmetto State saw an increase of 79,958, according to the Census Bureau. Most of the state’s growth was attr...