St. Louis population grew in 2024 thanks to international migration, U.S. Census data shows
Deaths continue to outnumber births in the St. Louis metro area, but the region still gained population last year thanks to one category of people: international migrants.
The metro population grew by 6,420 from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday morning. The total population of 2,811,927 represents an increase of 0.23% over the prior year, keeping St. Louis ranked at No. 23 among the nation's largest metro areas.
During that same time, the region added 12,375 people through net international migration, meaning people who moved into St. Louis from other countries. That gain offset the 3,759 people lost to domestic migration — locals who left the region for other parts of the country — and the margin of 2,209 by which deaths outnumbered births last year. Read more here.