A third of Maryland’s population growth in 2025 came from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, according to newly released federal data.

Maryland’s population grew modestly, adding around 20,000 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program. That’s a growth rate of 0.3%.

Prince George’s County alone accounted for more than a quarter of the state’s growth, with nearly 6,000 new residents, while Montgomery County added around 1,500 additional residents.

Prince George’s County has seen population growth for decades and is projected to continue adding residents through 2050, when it will swell to 1.2 million residents, Calista Black, a spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Planning Board and Planning Department, said in a statement Wednesday.

“The county’s continued population increase is attributed to a natural increase and international migration,” Black wrote. “People [who] immigrated from abroad to Prince George’s County have maintained consistent contributions to the county’s population growth.”

Maryland continues to lose residents through domestic migration. International migration — including both non-U.S. citizens and Americans moving across borders — has offset those losses in the last three years. But that number is now trending downward. Net international migration in Maryland dropped by more than 50% to 20,000 in 2025, down from 47,000 in 2024.

Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno blamed the Trump administration’s focus on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Federal immigration policy has also affected the Montgomery County school district. Between July and December, Montgomery County enrolled roughly 1,540 newcomer students — defined as children who are brand new to the country or are returning to the United States after years abroad. That’s about half as many newcomers enrolled by that point in the 2023 school year.

“It’s concerning for our region. It’s concerning for our nation,” Madaleno said.

Immigration is “one of the reasons why we have retained a vibrant economy, regionally,” he added.

The rate of domestic population loss in Baltimore City and Montgomery, Prince George’s and Baltimore counties also outpaced the state average in 2025.

“We lack a certain cool factor,” Madaleno said of the county’s long-standing problem in attracting young professionals.

Madaleno noted, however, that young parents who prioritize strong schools and prefer suburban life find Montgomery ideal.

Prince George’s County is attractive to residents who value economic well-being, nationally renowned institutions and proximity to the nation’s capital, Black said.

In Maryland, one in 10 workers is an employee of the federal government, according to a Banner analysis of the American Community Survey.

There is no evidence in Montgomery County that federal layoffs significantly contributed to people leaving the county, Madaleno said. He noted that home sales were up in the county in 2025 compared to the previous year, but had not reached prepandemic levels.

Data from the Population Estimates Program is used to determine federal funding disbursements, according to the Census Bureau. The state government also uses the data to evaluate its state and county population projections, with the next update scheduled for 2028, wrote David Buck, director of communications at the Maryland Department of Planning, in an email to The Banner.