If it feels like Houston has gotten a little more crowded recently, it’s not just you. The U.S. Census Bureau released a report earlier this March that tracked population numbers of cities across the United States from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. It found that Houston experienced the highest increase in population than any other city in the country.
The U.S. Census Bureau report identified a nationwide trend of diminishing population gains in the country’s metro areas. In comparison to its 2023– 2024 report, nearly 8 in 10 of the 2,066 counties that grew saw either a diminished or negative growth this past year.
The report found a similar phenomenon in 310 of 387 U.S. metro areas, which though didn’t experience negative growth, did see a slower growth than the previous year.
Per the report, the South remained as the country’s fastest-growing region – containing nine of the top 10 fastest growing counties as well as 45 of the 50 fastest-growing regions.
While the city did see a slower population growth than in previous years, Houston topped the nation in numeric growth, led by Harris County (1), Collin County (2), and Montgomery County (4). In total, the Greater Houston Area grew in population by 126,720 between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
Furthermore, the report revealed that Houston’s population reached 7.9 million as of last July. If the growth were to have remained steady, it’s probable that Houston has already crossed the 8 million mark.
As of July 2025, Harris County is the third most populous county in the United States following Los Angeles County in California and Cook County in Illinois.
