Immigration was the biggest factor in population growth for many booming Sun Belt counties as well as for the agricultural Midwest, according to a Stateline analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau county estimates.
The analysis shows the significant impact immigration had between mid-2020 and mid-2024 in fast-growing states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas, as well as how it boosted growth or minimized population loss across the country.
The surge of newcomers to the United States was the primary driver in population changes for 38% of counties nationwide and for most counties in states across a large swath of the Midwest: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota. Immigration also was the largest growth factor in most counties in Louisiana and Massachusetts.
In Iowa, immigration more than doubled population growth in the two counties that surround the state capital of Des Moines and Iowa City. Local advocates are planning to bolster services for new arrivals.
The census estimates, released last week, are the first at the county level to use a new method that tries to count asylum-seekers and other immigrants based on government data on green cards, visas, international students, refugee admissions and border releases.
Eric Jensen, a senior research scientist for the Census Bureau, said the new immigration estimates will be tweaked next year to better account for where asylum-seekers and refugees may have eventually settled.
In Texas, where Houston’s Harris County saw the nation’s largest population growth, the immigration of more than 260,000 people accounted for the bulk of the roughly 278,000-person increase. The rest came largely from births.
The new numbers have helped clarify how much of the state’s growth has come from immigration, said Texas state Demographer Lloyd Potter.
“We’ve been saying for a while now, where are all these people coming over the border? They’re not showing up in census data,” Potter said.
Florida’s Miami-Dade County, home of Miami, had the state’s largest population growth since 2020. But the county would have shrunk without the immigration of almost 321,000 people to offset more than 205,000 people who moved away.
Florida has complained for many years that new immigration was not reflected accurately enough in population estimates, said Richard Doty, a research demographer for the state’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.
“From a Florida perspective, the big news is the dramatic increase in their population estimates driven entirely by the Census Bureau’s revised estimates of [immigration],” Doty said. The change increased Florida and U S. population estimates not just for the current year but also for all years since 2020, he said.
Immigration was the largest factor for five of the nation’s top 10 growth counties, which included Arizona’s Maricopa County, home of Phoenix; Nevada’s Clark County, home of Las Vegas; and Florida’s Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located.
Newcomers from around the country were the biggest factor in the other top 10 counties, including Collin, Denton, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties in Texas, as well as Florida’s Polk County, south of Orlando.
Those Texas counties are fast-growing exurbs of Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston with a lot of new housing developments, Potter said.
“That creates its own kind of issues. People are moving in, bringing a couple of cars, and they’re going to need retail and a whole range of infrastructure and transportation,” Potter said.
Nationwide, 278 counties in 42 states and the District of Columbia would have shrunk in population were it not for immigration.
They include: Florida’s Orange and Broward counties along with Miami-Dade; Washington state’s King County, where Seattle is located; Dallas County in Texas; Middlesex County in Massachusetts, near Boston; Ohio’s Franklin County, which includes Columbus; Salt Lake County in Utah; Middlesex County, New Jersey; and Sacramento County, California.
Immigration also helped stem population losses in many counties that ended up shrinking anyway: Los Angeles County in California lost more than 260,000 people since 2020, but the losses would have been much larger without about 257,000 new immigrants.
Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish, in the New Orleans metro area, lost almost 14,000 people since 2020, but the loss would have been more than double if not for 16,000 new immigrants. Public schools there have been plagued by absences amid fears of immigration raids under the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportation, according to press accounts.
Immigration also minimized population loss in 958 counties in 47 states, including: Chicago’s Cook County, Illinois; four New York City boroughs; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; suburban Prince George’s County in Maryland; Detroit’s Wayne County, Michigan.
Polk County, Iowa, which includes Des Moines, saw most of its growth of almost 24,000 people from new immigration. The county plans a welcoming center for immigrants in Des Moines, called Global Neighbors, but the county also has been roiled by mostly false rumors of immigration raids.
Mak Sućeska, who will direct operations for the center, is a refugee from Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia who arrived in the United States in 1993. At an event this week in Iowa City, he described the planned $4 million center as “a space for refugees and immigrants to call home.”
Iowa City in Johnson County, another area where immigration more than doubled population growth since 2020, is also interested in more immigrant services, said Peter Gerlach, executive director of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, speaking at the March 12 event.
“It’s really important to learn from each other, from like-minded communities, about how we can support and create welcoming communities,” Gerlach said, especially given “the ways in which our refugees and immigrants are being targeted.
This story is republished from Stateline, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
SUMMARY: The weather forecast includes a tornado watch for far northwestern communities like Jackson and Lawrence counties, effective until 11 PM. Scattered storms have started to develop due to high heat and humidity. The Steamboat Race is about to begin near the Ohio River, with dry conditions so far but some storms may pop up nearby. Temperatures are around 84°F with 50% humidity and a light southwest breeze. Evening storms are expected mainly along I-64 and points north. Wednesday night will quiet down, but Thursday will see scattered storms again, especially in the afternoon. Rain chances continue through Derby week, but mostly in periodic showers with plenty of dry times. The unsettled pattern will likely ease by next week.
SUMMARY: Severe weather is expected to return on Thursday, with a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley and re-energizing the atmosphere, creating conditions for strong to severe storms, including damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes. All of Central and Eastern Kentucky is under a Level 2 (Slight Risk) for severe weather. The storms will be fueled by gusty southwest winds, pushing temperatures into the low 80s. For Oaks Day (Friday), scattered showers and storms are likely, and the forecast for Derby Day (Saturday) is uncertain, with possible lingering clouds and showers. Temperatures will be cooler, staying in the mid-60s for the weekend.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Dave Mason | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-29 19:00:00
(The Center Square) – California and Arizona Tuesday joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia to sue the Trump administration to stop cuts in AmeriCorps’ grants and workforce.
The lawsuit objects to the federal government reducing 85% of the workforce for the agency, which promotes national service and volunteer work addressing disaster recovery and other community needs.
According to americorps.gov, the agency enrolls more than 200,000 people each year in community service organizations. AmeriCorps also provides more than $4.8 billion in education awards.
Besides California and Arizona, states filing the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February directing every federal agency to reduce its staff. Since then, AmeriCorps has placed at least 85% of its workforce on administrative leave immediately and told employees they would be dismissed effective June 24, according to a news release from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
The states’ lawsuit contends the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce AmeriCorps and its grants violate the Administrative Procedures Act and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution.
California is co-leading the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“In California, AmeriCorps volunteers build affordable housing, clean up our environment, and address food insecurity in communities across our state,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “California has repeatedly taken action to hold the Trump Administration and DOGE accountable to the law — and we stand prepared to do it again to protect AmeriCorps and the vital services it provides.”
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said the cuts in AmeriCorps affect grants such as:
$700,000 for Northern Arizona University, Arizona Teacher’s Residency, designed to address teacher shortages.
$308,000 for Area Agency on Aging, Caring Circles, which helps older Arizonans with needs such as transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping and help with technology.
$495,000 for Vista College Prepartory’s tutoring and teacher support for math and reading for low-income students.
“AmeriCorps represents the best of our nation – providing opportunities for millions of Americans to serve their neighbors and communities and make our country a better place to live,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said. “By unilaterally gutting this Congressionally authorized agency, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have yet again violated the law and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. Their illegal actions will harm Arizona communities.”
Mayes noted studies show AmeriCorps programs generate more than $34 per every dollar spent in terms of their impact on communities.
“Slashing these programs serves no purpose and is incredibly short-sighted from those claiming to champion efficiency,” she said.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article reports on a legal action filed by multiple states against the Trump administration over cuts to AmeriCorps, without offering an overt ideological stance. The content outlines the details of the lawsuit, the parties involved, and their claims. The language used is largely factual, describing the positions of the states, particularly California and Arizona, without endorsing one side. While the article highlights the perceived impacts of the cuts and quotes politicians critical of the Trump administration, it refrains from promoting an explicit viewpoint, focusing instead on reporting the legal and administrative actions at hand. The tone remains neutral and provides an equal space to both the states’ concerns and the implications of the lawsuit. It primarily serves as a factual report on the legal challenge, rather than an advocacy piece, and does not adopt a partisan perspective on the issue.
