New Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates reveal that the South is the only region where the under-18 population grew between 2020 and 2025, adding 303,969 children. In contrast, the West suffered the largest decline, losing 1,015,068 children, a 5.7% drop. Nationally, the under-18 population shrank by 2.4%, while the 65-and-older population grew 16.2% and the median age rose from 38.6 to 39.4. The South’s overall population grew 6%—nearly double the national rate of 3.1%—and it was the only region to gain residents across all five age groups tracked by the Census Bureau.