The Fastest Growing US States in 2026

2026-05-01

The US population continues to shift south and west. Texas and Florida remain the undisputed growth champions, each adding hundreds of thousands of new residents annually. Between the 2010 Census and the Census Bureau estimates for July 2025, Idaho grew about 29% (1.57 million to 2.03 million) and Utah about 28% (2.76 million to 3.54 million). Montana grew more slowly: 9.6% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, and about 16% in total by 2025 (989,000 to 1.14 million), with much of the gain after 2020 as remote work and domestic migration picked up

. Meanwhile West Virginia, Mississippi and Illinois all lost population between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. Texas is projected to surpass 40 million residents by 2040, potentially gaining three more Congressional seats..