Population Growth Holds Steady in Midsized Cities Amid Widespread Slowdown

MAY 14, 2026 - Amid a widespread national slowdown in population growth, midsized cities remained close to the previous year's patterns between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. Drop-offs in average growth were steeper among the largest cities, according to U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates released today.

Even where the largest cities maintained strong growth, they were often outpaced by smaller cities in the outer portions of the same metro area. For example, Charlotte, N.C. - the nation's 14th largest city - gained 20,731 residents between 2024 and 2025, more than any city in the country. However, among cities with a population of 20,000 or more, Charlotte was only the seventh fastest-growing city in its own metro area by percentage increase. The fastest was Fort Mill, S.C. - about 20 miles from downtown Charlotte - which grew by 6.8% to 38,673, ranking 20th nationally. The cities in the metro outranking Charlotte in growth were all midsized, with populations ranging from about 25,000 to 70,000.

Similar patterns, where the growth of central cities was outpaced by surrounding midsized cities, were evident throughout the country.

"Big-city growth slowed significantly between 2024 and 2025, with some major hubs even seeing small declines," noted Matt Erickson, a statistician in the Census Bureau's Population Division. "In contrast, midsized cities found a 'Goldilocks zone' where domestic and international migration, paired with new housing, helped prevent the sluggish growth seen in small towns and larger metropolitan centers."

Alternatively, New York City's population declined by 12,196 between 2024 and 2025, the greatest numeric decrease in the nation. Yet four incorporated places in the New York metro's outer reaches numbered among the country's 200 fastest-growing places by percentage change, led by Port Chester, N.Y., which ranked number 80 with a 4.1% increase. These fast-growing suburbs are all medium-sized, with populations between 25,000 and 40,000.

Growth slowdowns in the nation's largest cities were most pronounced in the Northeast, where regional trends such as a drop-off in population gains from net international migration and domestic migration patterns favoring warm-weather destinations trickled down into these major population centers.

The slowdown was not confined to the Northeast. Among the largest cities, average growth rates fell by at least half in every region compared with a year earlier. This was true even in the South, where cities and towns continued to lead the nation in average growth. Although the greatest declines were among the largest cities, average growth rates were lower in cities of all sizes and across every region compared to the prior year. In the Midwest, midsized cities were no exception. But relative to other regions, they maintained relatively stable population change.