The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates show the South is the only US region adding children under 18 and gaining residents aged 18 to 24, reversing national trends of decline.The South adds nearly 304K children, grows overall by about 6 percent and records a 5 percent rise in 18-to-24-year-olds, while the nation’s child population falls by 1.8M (-2.4 percent) and the West, Northeast and Midwest post steeper losses.Experts say domestic migration to Sunbelt states such as Texas, Florida and North Carolina, lower housing and living costs and job growth drive the shift, and
William H. Frey warns that cutting immigration would worsen national aging and population decline.