U.S. population growth will slow to a crawl over the next few decades as fertility rates decline and net immigration shrinks because of stricter enforcement, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
Deaths are now projected to exceed births in 2031. Just eight months ago, CBO had projected that threshold wouldn’t be crossed until 2033.
By 2055, the U.S. population will be about 367 million, up from 350 million today. In January, CBO had projected a 2055 population of 372 million. From 1975 through 2024, U.S. population growth averaged 0.9% annually. By the early 2050s, according to the latest projections, population growth will effectively be zero.
U.S. population growth will slow to a crawl over the next few decades as fertility rates decline and net immigration shrinks because of stricter enforcement, the Congressional Budget Office said https://t.co/Et12WqCfnk
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 10, 2025