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Georgia and Texas had half of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. counties in 2024, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau data. All 10 counties are in the South and West.
Of the nation’s 3,144 counties, 65.3% recorded population increases in 2024. Much of the growth occurred in counties with populations exceeding 100,000, which had an average annual growth of 1.1%, an increase from 1.0% in 2023. The U.S. as a whole recorded a 1.0% population increase from 2023 to 2024, the fastest population growth in the U.S. since 2001.
The smallest 737 counties in the country, those with populations under 10,000, recorded an average annual population decline of 0.2% in 2024, compared with a 0.1% average decline in 2023.
Many of the counties with the largest population gains in 2024 are in large metro areas, where population growth is being “increasingly shaped” by international migration, according to Census Bureau Demographer Kristie Wilder.
“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,” Wilder stated.
Net international migration accounted for 84% of the U.S.’s overall population growth in 2024. That trend may change under President Trump, who has promised to usher in mass deportations during his administration.
