Washington state's population growth outpaces U.S. average
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Washington is among the fastest-growing U.S. states, with its population rising faster than the nation's, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.
The big picture: While the U.S. population grew by 0.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, Washington's rose by 0.9% — nearly double the national rate.
By the numbers: Washington had the seventh-highest population growth rate among states from July 2024 to July 2025.
- Only South Carolina, Idaho, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Delaware grew faster.
- Washington added 73,062 people during the one-year period, and the state's population now tops eight million.
Zoom out: The slowing U.S. growth rate in 2025 was "largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million," census assistant division chief Christine Hartley said in a news release.
- Washington's net international migration fell, too, but by a much lower percentage — about a 35% drop.
- Even so, that immigration accounted for about 46,200 of the state's population gain — nearly two-thirds of the increase.
Between the lines: The numbers offer some insight into the effects of President Trump's immigration crackdown, though it's an incomplete view, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.
- Because of the time period covered, the figures capture only the first few months of Trump's second term — reflecting his early immigration efforts, but not more recent enforcement actions, such as those in Minnesota.
- Census estimates suggest net international migration nationwide could fall further in the next annual update, to about 321,000 new residents from overseas.
What's next: People continued moving to Washington from abroad last year — but federal immigration policy could slow those arrivals going forward.