Immigration fuels population rise in Philadelphia
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International migration helped Philadelphia's population tick up slightly between 2024 and 2025, per new Census Bureau data.
Why it matters: Immigration has been fueling growth in both the city and region for years, even as it declines nationwide.
The big picture: Population growth is slowing in most counties nationwide as immigration fell sharply in that period. This comes as the Trump administration tightens immigration enforcement.
🧮 By the numbers: Philadelphia County saw its population rise by 1,546 people between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
- 👋 Moving out: More than 9,700 domestic residents left Philly during that time.
- ✈️ Moving in: Roughly 7,220 people arrived here from other countries.
- 👶 Babies: The city saw 18,315 births over that year, netting a natural increase of nearly 4,000 compared to deaths.
Between the lines: The city's big problem is how to retain the residents it has — like families fleeing for schools in the suburbs.
- Case in point: Philly's population dropped by about 29,500 between 2020 and 2025, per the Census data.
📈 State of play: The Philly region as a whole saw a population bump of roughly 19,800 between 2024 and 2025.
- Same story: International migration was up more than 21,100, while domestic migration fell by 8,900.
- Worth noting: The data defines the region as stretching from Reading to Camden, New Jersey, and into parts of Maryland and Delaware.
Zoom out: International migration fell in nine out of 10 U.S. counties during that period, hitting the most populous areas the hardest.
- International migration plummeted about 55% — from about 2.8 million people to 1.3 million.
Yes, but: The U.S. overall still grew by 0.5% between 2024 and 2025.
Context: The Census' international migration data include both foreigners and Americans coming home from abroad, including military service members.