KXAN Austin writes, "For the third year in a row, Texas’ population increased more than any other state, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
As of July 1, 2025, an estimated 31,709,821 people live in the state, making Texas the second-most populous state behind California, which has more than 39.3 million residents.
The new estimates show Texas’ population grew by 391,243 since July 2024, or about 1.25%. Florida had the second-largest increase: almost 200,000, while North Carolina added about 146,000 residents.
In total, 45 states and the District of Columbia saw an increase in population over the year, while five states and Puerto Rico saw a decline in population.
Puerto Rico lost the most residents in the past year: 17,686 in total. California’s population fell by more than 9,000, while Hawaii lost more than 2,000 residents.
When looking at percentage change, Texas ranks fourth, with a population increase of 1.25% between 2024 and 2025.
South Carolina had the highest rate of population growth at 1.46%, while Idaho was right behind at 1.44%. North Carolina’s population grew by 1.32%. Utah rounded out the top five behind Texas, with a growth rate of 1.03%.
Puerto Rico’s population declined by 0.55%, while Vermont lost 0.29% of its residents.
The national population in July 2025, excluding Puerto Rico, was estimated at 341,784,857, an increase of more than 1.7 million over 2024. Nationwide, the population grew by 0.52%, the smallest increase in four years.
“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau, said. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”
The Census Bureau is expected to release new 2025 estimates for county and metro populations in March, ahead of new city population estimates in May.
Figures from 2024 show Houston remains the largest city in the state by far, with almost 2.4 million residents. San Antonio has almost 1.5 million residents, while Dallas has a little more than 1.3 million residents. Fort Worth had an estimated 1 million residents, while Austin rounded out the top five at 993,000 residents."
Source: KXAN Austin
Written by: Christopher Adams
Published: January 27, 2026
Posted by Grossman & Jones Group on
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