In 2025, New Jersey had the highest housing unit density among U.S. states at roughly 439 units per square mile, while Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana remained below 4 units per square mile. The national average was about 39 housing units per square mile, but state densities varied widely due to land area, urbanization, and historical settlement patterns.
Net international migration fell in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia between 2024 and 2025, slowing national population growth to 0.5%—the slowest since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although all states still recorded positive net international migration, the broad decline reduced the demographic contribution of immigration across the country.
U.S. real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 1.5 percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That follows a 2.1 percent gain in Q1 2026 and marks a deceleration from the 4.4 percent pace in Q3 2025. The latest estimate shows consumer spending, exports, and investment contributing to growth, while government spending declined and imports rose.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates show population growth slowed in a majority of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 2024 and July 2025. Nearly 8 in 10 counties that grew the prior year saw growth slow or reverse, and 310 of 387 metro areas decelerated. Rural America grew for a fifth straight year only because 168,000 net in-migrants offset natural decrease, while about half of rural counties lost population.
In 2025, the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area led the United States with an estimated GDP of $2.189 trillion, followed by Los Angeles ($1.078 trillion) and Chicago ($760 billion). The top 10 metro areas generate about 42.8% of U.S. GDP while holding only 28.4% of the population. This article ranks the largest U.S. metropolitan economies and explains the data, methodology, and implications.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released 2024 state-level real per capita personal income data on February 19, 2026, showing wide variation after adjusting for cost of living. The District of Columbia led at $81,872, while several states clustered near $52,000. Nationally, real personal income rose 2.9 percent, but state growth ranged from a 5.5 percent gain in California to a 2.2 percent decline in North Dakota.
An analysis of the diverse streams that constitute personal income across the United States, highlighting the roles of wages, government transfers, and property income. This report examines state-level variations and the economic drivers of income growth through 2025.
U.S. state export data from the Census Bureau show Texas as the top exporting state and the Northern Mariana Islands as the lowest. The figures are based on the origin of movement of goods and include four-digit NAICS commodity codes, country of destination, and shipping details. Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom are among the most frequent top partners for individual states.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area remains the largest U.S. metro area in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates, with 20,112,448 residents as of July 1, 2025. Los Angeles and Chicago follow, while Sun Belt metros such as Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Orlando continue to post the strongest long-term growth. The official rankings cover 387 metropolitan statistical areas in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The U.S. national official poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, but state-level rates varied widely, from under 8% in several states to 19.6% in Louisiana. Southern states dominate the highest poverty rankings, while the Supplemental Poverty Measure was 12.9%, reflecting the end of pandemic-era benefits. These state rankings are critical for federal funding and economic policy.