Washington state’s population appears to have increased by 73,000, clearing 8 million people for the first time in 2025, even as population growth slowed in the Pacific Northwest.

Meanwhile, Oregon saw a relatively small increase of 8,200 people and experienced one of the slowest growth rates in the country from July 2024 to 2025.

Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that overall the U.S. experienced one of the slowest population growth rates on record during that same period. The U.S. population went up just half a percent — 1.8 million people — from July 2024 to 2025, according to estimates released Tuesday.

“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau, said in a statement.

Births and deaths are comparable to the year before, Hartley said, making the changes in migration the driving reason behind the slower growth rate. People are still immigrating to the U.S., but the difference between the number of people leaving for another country and those moving here from another country is shrinking.

Data and research from the U.S. Census Bureau is used at nearly every level of government to help shape policy and allocate funding and legislative seats. In addition to the major nationwide count every decade, the Bureau regularly releases population estimates and other reports and surveys.

In Oregon, like in other states, Census numbers help guide federal funding for specific programs. The data also determines whether states get additional congressional seats. Oregon policymakers also use data from Portland State University’s Population Research Center when drafting legislation and other state business.

Economists use the Census data to help analyze a region’s workforce and the overall job market. If a population is growing, it means there are more people both to fill jobs and to buy local goods and services.

“If there’s more workers available and more people spend money,” Jake Procino, Multnomah County economist and workforce analyst for the Oregon Employment Department, said, “It grows an economy.”

A larger population also means a bigger tax base, Procino said, for the government to fund things such as schools, roads and public transportation.

The Census population estimates released this week include single and five-year reports. Oregon’s population has hovered around 4.25 million for the last five years, dipping down slightly in 2022, and now up to 4.27 million in 2025.

“It is, by definition, an increase,” Procino said. “But it is a very nominal one.”

Meanwhile, Washington has grown by more than a quarter million in the last few years, from a population of 7.73 million in 2020 to 8 million in 2025.

“Population change reflects on where people want to live,” Procino said. “People can say they don’t like this city or don’t like this state or don’t like this area — but that doesn’t really matter. What ultimately matters is where people are going with their feet.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/27/census-population-oregon-washington-changes/