Growth in Metro Areas Outpaced Nation – U.S. Census Bureau

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March 13, 2025 — Population growth in U.S. metro areas as a whole was faster between 2023 and 2024 than in the previous year and outpaced that of the nation. Additionally, some metro areas that experienced population declines during the COVID-19 pandemic are now observing population gains, according to Vintage 2024 estimates of population totals and components of change released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.“Increasingly, population growth in metro areas is being shaped by international migration,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “While births continue to contribute to overall growth, rising net international migration is offsetting the ongoing net domestic outmigration we see in many of these areas.”All of the nation’s 387 metro areas had positive net international migration between 2023 and 2024, and it accounted for nearly 2.7 million of the total population gain in metro areas — up from 2.2 million between 2022 and 2023. These trends were measured using an improved method that combines survey data and administrative data from other federal agencies.The Population Estimates Program uses current data on births, deaths and migration to calculate population change since the most recent decennial census (2020 Census) and produce an annual time series of estimates of population. Today’s release includes population totals and components of change for U.S. counties and metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and total population for Puerto Rico municipios and metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. Tables are available on .Nearly two-thirds (65.3%) of the 3,144 counties in the 50 states and the District of Columbia grew last year. In general, large counties had faster growth in 2024, while small counties noted more population loss.Large counties (those with populations over 100,000 in 2024) grew on average by 1.1%, up from 1.0% in 2023. Conversely, among the 737 smallest counties with populations below 10,000, the average annual decrease was 0.2% in 2024, compared to a 0.1% decrease from 2022 to 2023.Refer to the bottom of the release for tables on the Top 10 Most Populous Counties: 2024; Top 10 Counties by Numeric Growth: 2023 to 2024; Top 10 Counties by Percent Growth: 2023 to 2024; and Top 10 Counties by Numeric Decline: 2023 to 2024. Refer to the bottom of the release for tables on the Top 10 Metro Areas by Numeric Growth: 2023 to 2024; Top 10 Metro Areas by Percent Growth: 2023 to 2024; Top 10 Micro Areas by Numeric Growth: 2023 to 2024; and Top 10 Micro Areas by Percent Growth: 2023 to 2024.The most recent net international migration estimates reflect methodological improvements, which included the incorporation of additional administrative data. Details are available in the Random Samplings blog, “Census Bureau Improves Methodology to Better Capture Increase in Net International Migration.”In May, the Census Bureau is scheduled to release estimates of the July 1, 2024, population for cities and towns (incorporated places and minor civil divisions). The data will be embargoed. The full release schedule for the Population Estimates Program can be found on the Census Bureau’s website.With each new release of annual estimates, the entire time series of estimates is revised for all years back to the date of the last census. All previously published estimates (i.e., old vintages) are superseded and archived on the FTP2 site. Due to periodic methodological updates, such as this year’s immigration adjustment, year-to-year comparisons in the estimates should only be done within the same vintage.ShareContactPatricia Ramos
Public Information Office
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Source: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/population-estimates-counties-metro-micro.html