US Census Bureau names South Carolina nation’s fastest-growing state

State Population Percentage Change Map (US Census Bureau)

(WCIV) — South Carolina’s population growth between July 2024 and July 2025 saw the Palmetto State grow at a percentage increase higher than any other state in the nation, according to new data from the US Census Bureau.

The bureau says net domestic migration fueled South Carolina’s increase with 66,622 people moving in from other states, with a total growth in population coming in at 79,958 residents for an increase of 1.5%. That percentage is down from the 1.8% increase the state saw between July 2023 and July 2024.

Notably, South Carolina’s percentage of residents over the age of 18 rose from 79% in 2024 to 79.4% in 2025, indicating a slightly aging population, according to Census Bureau estimates.

Idaho and North Carolina followed closely behind in percent growth at 1.4% and 1.3% respectively, with their growth also mainly driven by domestic migration.

South Carolina had the fifth-highest numeric growth during the period, coming in behind Georgia (98,540), North Carolina (145,907), Florida (196,680), and Texas (391,243). The Lone Star State, the second most populous state in the nation, grew mainly from a combination of natural change and net international migration, according to the Census Bureau.

Net international migration sharply declined from 2.7 million to 1.3 million between 2024 and 2025, driving the nation’s slowest population growth since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. All four census regions, Northeast, Midwest, South, and West, and every state except Montana and West Virginia saw their growth slow, according to the bureau.