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Texas Leads U.S. in Population Growth for Third Year, Census Data Shows

Texas led the U.S. in population growth for the third straight year in 2025, with its increase nearly doubling Florida's, though many counties saw slower growth due to declining international migration.

Published March 27, 2026 at 10:00am by Alexis Simmerman

Texas has gained more residents than any other state for the third consecutive year, estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau reveal. The state’s population increase was nearly double that of Florida, which had the second-highest gain.

From 2024 to 2025, all but five states — California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia — saw population growth. Still, most of the nation’s 3,143 counties, along with the District of Columbia, experienced slower growth than the previous year.

That trend was especially pronounced in metro areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laredo saw the sharpest slowdown in the country, dropping from a 3.2% population increase in 2023–2024 to 0.2% in 2024–2025. Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., followed.

The Census Bureau attributed the slowdown largely to declining net international migration. About 90% of U.S. counties saw decreases in international migration between July 2024 and June 2025, while the remaining counties saw little to no change.

Some of the nation’s most populous counties were among the most affected, particularly those already experiencing negative domestic migration — meaning more people moved out than in.

“The nation’s largest counties, like those in the New York metro area, are often international migration hubs,” Census Bureau demographer George M. Hayward said. “With fewer gains from international migration, these counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss.”

Texas not only led the nation in overall population growth but also dominated across counties and metro areas.

Here’s a breakdown of the 2025 data:

States

Top 10 most populous, 2025

  1. California: 39,355,309
  2. Texas: 31,709,821
  3. Florida: 23,462,518
  4. New York: 20,002,427
  5. Pennsylvania: 13,059,432
  6. Illinois: 12,719,141
  7. Ohio: 11,900,510
  8. Georgia: 11,302,748
  9. North Carolina: 11,197,968
  10. Michigan: 10,127,884

Top 10 by numeric growth, 2024-2025

  1. Texas: +391,243
  2. Florida: +196,680
  3. North Carolina: +145,907
  4. Georgia: +98,540
  5. South Carolina: +79,958
  6. Washington: +73,062
  7. Arizona: +67,394
  8. Tennessee: +63,785
  9. Virginia: +60,465
  10. New Jersey: +41,861

Top 10 by percent growth, 2024-2025

  1. South Carolina: +1.5%
  2. Idaho: +1.4%
  3. North Carolina: +1.3%
  4. Texas: +1.2%
  5. Utah: +1.0%
  6. Delaware: +0.9%
  7. Washington: +0.9%
  8. Arizona: +0.9%
  9. Nevada: +0.9%
  10. Tennessee: +0.9%

County

Top 10 most populous, July 2025

  1. Los Angeles County, Calif.: 9,694,934
  2. Cook County, Ill.: 5,194,625
  3. Harris County, Texas: 5,045,026
  4. Maricopa County, Ariz.: 4,689,558
  5. San Diego County, Calif.: 3,282,248
  6. Orange County, Calif.: 3,149,507
  7. Miami-Dade County, Fla.: 2,802,029
  8. Dallas County, Texas: 2,661,397
  9. Kings County, New York: 2,653,963
  10. Riverside County, Calif.: 2,544,916

Top 10 by numerical growth, July 2024-July 2025

  1. Harris County, Texas: +48,695
  2. Collin County, Texas: +42,966
  3. Maricopa County, Ariz.: +35,411
  4. Montgomery County, Texas: +30,011
  5. Wake County, N.C.: +27,760
  6. King County, Wash.: +26,980
  7. Mecklenburg County, N.C.: +26,554
  8. Fort Bend County, Texas: +24,163
  9. Williamson County, Texas: +23,814
  10. Pinal County, Ariz.: +23,654

Despite being the eighth-most populous U.S. county, Dallas County had the ninth-largest numeric decline from July 2024 to July 2025 — losing 2,616 residents.

Top 10 by percent growth, July 2024-July 2025

Several of the country’s fastest-growing counties were in states along the southeast coast. The South was also vastly overrepresented.

  1. Jasper County, S.C.: +6.0%
  2. Waller County, Texas: +5.7%
  3. Kaufman County, Texas: +5.7%
  4. Jackson County, Ga.: +5.3%
  5. Long County, Ga.: +5.2%
  6. Brunswick County, N.C.: +4.7%
  7. Pinal County, Ariz.: +4.6%
  8. Liberty County, Texas: +4.4%
  9. Dawson County, Ga.: +4.2%
  10. Caldwell County, Texas: +4.2%

Metro area

Top 10 by numeric growth, July 2024-July 2025

  1. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, Texas: +126,720
  2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas: +123,557
  3. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.: +61,953
  4. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Ariz.: +59,065
  5. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C.: +54,122
  6. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas: +53,796
  7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W.Va.: +50,206
  8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.: +43,068
  9. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas: +38,402
  10. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.: +37,690

Top 10 by percent growth, July 2024-July 2025

  1. Ocala, Fla.: +3.4%
  2. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, S.C.: +3.2%
  3. Spartanburg, S.C.: +2.8%
  4. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.: +2.7%
  5. Punta Gorda, Fla.: +2.7%
  6. Huntsville, Ala.: +2.6%
  7. Wilmington, N.C.: +2.6%
  8. St. George, Utah: +2.5%
  9. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.: +2.4%
  10. Raleigh-Cary, N.C.: +2.4%