St. Louis ranked last among the country's largest growing metro areas, according to newly released census data from last year.
The data shows slow growth nationwide as a result of decreased international migration. Five of the 50 largest U.S. metros lost population, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Miami.
The St. Louis metro area gained 3,000 residents in 2025, but it saw more deaths than births, according to the most recent population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Although the region has lost nearly 6,500 residents since 2020, this was the second consecutive year of population growth.
"While this continued growth is promising, it is clear that we need to focus more energy and resources on creating more and better jobs across the metro to drive much stronger growth than we are seeing," Greater St. Louis Inc. Managing Partner Ron Kitchens said in a statement.
The recent increase comes from net positive migration to the area. St. Louis lost over a thousand residents through domestic migration, but it gained 6,700 residents through international migration.
Migration-related changes
Population growth has slowed in metro areas nationwide because of decreased immigration.
Nine out of 10 U.S. counties experienced lower levels of net international migration last year compared to 2024, resulting in slowed growth across the country, especially in the nation's largest counties.
The areas hit hardest by slowed migration, including St. Louis, saw more deaths than births and negative domestic migration coupled with immigration constrictions nationwide.
Ness Sandoval, a demographer and St. Louis University sociology professor, said the region is on track to lose nearly 600,000 residents under age 50 by 2075 if domestic migration is not adequately addressed.
"These are not distant projections," Sandoval said in a statement. "They are signs of a structural shift that is already underway."
Sandoval said the region could lead the nation in natural population loss in the following decades with deaths among the baby boomer generation, meaning increased migration would be needed to fill the gap.
"Between 2030 and 2040, these pressures will grow as the population continues to age and the effects of low birth rates become more pronounced," Sandoval said. "Demography is unforgiving. It moves slowly and often goes unnoticed, but once patterns are set they are difficult to reverse."
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