Colorado's population is growing, but just barely
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Colorado's population topped 6 million for the first time last year, even as growth slowed to a glacial pace, new Census Bureau estimates show.
Why it matters: The state's 24,000 new residents are the lowest increase since 1990 amid the oil and gas industry's collapse.
By the numbers: The state's growth rate fell to 0.4% in 2025 from 1.29% the year prior.
Driving the news: Most of Colorado's growth came from natural increases (21,000), which is birth minus deaths, while migration into the state (15,000) barely exceeded the number of people leaving (12,000).
- International immigration is the traditional driver of population increases, but the U.S. saw a historic decline amid tougher U.S. policies.
The big picture: The U.S. population grew just 0.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, adding 1.8 million people.— the slowest rate since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by an anemic 0.2%.
- The fastest-growing states were South Carolina (+1.5%), fueled largely by domestic migration. Idaho (+1.4%) and North Carolina (+1.3%).
- Shrinking states included California, Hawai'i, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia.