(The Center Square) – Texas was among the top states that saw population increases as the national population growth slowed.
Texas reported the fourth fastest population growth between July 2024 and July 2025, according to newly published U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates.
Texas also ranked second for having the greatest international migration over the year, contributing to population increases, according to the data.
“All four U.S regions saw population growth between July 2024 and July 2025, albeit at a slower rate than in recent years,” the Census states.
South Carolina was the fastest growing state, growing by 1.5%, followed by Idaho (1.4%), North Carolina (1.3%), Texas (1.2%) and Utah (1%). All states grew except for five that reported population losses: California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia.
Texas’ 1.2% population growth rate reflects a gain of 391,243 residents over the year, bringing Texas’ total population to more than 31.7 million as of July 2025.
Texas’ population remains the second highest in the country behind California’s, which hovers above 39 million.
Texas’ population grew “rapidly from a combination of natural change and net international migration, despite a sharp slowdown in gains from the latter,” the census report states.
While every state and the District of Columbia reported lower net international migration compared to the previous year, Texas reported the second highest.
Florida reported the most (178,674), followed by Texas (167,475), California (109,278), and New York (95,634)
Population data impacts congressional apportionment and federal funding. The federal government distributes roughly $675 billion to states for a range of grants and programs based on census population data. “This money is spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other vital programs. An undercount of the Texas population of just 1% could translate to a loss of $300 million in federal funding for the state and Texans,” The Texas Demographic Center explains.
An American Redistricting Project forecasts Texas gaining four seats in 2030 but it’s based on 2025 population data. The number is expected to be higher because Texas’ population is expected to continue increase every year through by the 2030 census.
During the last ten-year census period, Texas added four million people.
The Census Bureau’s 2020 post enumeration survey noted that Texas’ population was undercounted by nearly 2%, or at least 500,000 people.
Texas gained two congressional seats, both in the north Texas region, after the 2020 census.
Since 2020, the fastest growing counties are in the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio metro regions, according to census data evaluated by World Population Review.
“Texas’s counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026,” it states. Kaufman County, outside of San Antonio, has reported the most growth of 6.93%, followed by Liberty County outside of Houston (5.39%) and Rockwall County (5.18%) outside of Dallas.
The top three most populous counties in Texas have populations greater than some states. Harris County has the most of more than 5.2 million, followed by Dallas County’s nearly 2.7 million and Tarrant County’s nearly 2.3 million.
Of Texas’ 254 counties, 180 are reporting growth; 74 have experienced population decline, according to census data.
The Vintage 2025 population estimates for Texas were lower than previous years when Texas was breaking population records.
In 2023, Texas saw a record 473,453 population gain when Texas was adding nearly 40,000 people a month, or nearly 1,300 a day, The Center Square reported.
Texas counties saw a massive influx of residents from July 2023 to 2024. Four of the top 10 counties nationwide reporting the greatest numeric and percentage growth were in Texas: Harris, Collin, Montgomery and Tarrant, The Center Square reported. They are in the Dallas and Houston metro regions.
In 2022, Texas counties and metro areas reported among the highest population gains in the country, The Center Square reported. They were in the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro regions in Collin, Fort Bend, Williamson, Denton and Montgomery counties.
Harris County has historically reported the most population growth in Texas. It’s the largest county in Texas and third-largest county in the country. In 2022, its population was 4.7 million, by July 2025 its population surpassed 5.2 million.
That’s up from 3.4 million in 2000.
