Only One US Region Is Seeing an Increase in Kids

Kids are vanishing from much of the US, but the South is bucking the trend. New census estimates show the nation's under-18 population dropped by 1.8 million between 2020 and 2025, with declines in every region except the South, which added about 304,000 children over that period, Axios reports. The West saw the sharpest fall, losing more than 1 million kids, or 5.7%. Overall, the South's population grew 6%—nearly twice the national rate—as it attracted children, young adults, and retirees, making it the only region gaining in all age groups.

The child bump is concentrated in Southern metro counties, which more than offset losses in smaller cities and rural areas. Demographers say it's a mix of births, deaths, and migration, though the data don't untangle exactly how much each factor contributed. Nationally, the population is aging: the median age climbed almost a full point from 2020 to 39.4, those 65 and older jumped 16.2%, and the under-18 group shrank 2.4%. In the year ending July 1, 2025, 17 states, or a third of the country, had more deaths than births, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Across the country, there were only 518,585 more births than deaths, down from 1.9 million in 2007.