Analyzing Trends in CSS Usage: A Comparison Between 2024 and 2025

The landscape of CSS methodologies continues to evolve rapidly, influenced by emerging tools, frameworks, and developer preferences. Recent reports from the State of CSS surveys for 2024 and 2025 reveal noteworthy shifts in the adoption of various CSS techniques, prompting developers and industry observers to examine the underlying causes.

One prominent trend is the significant decline in the usage of CSS Modules, juxtaposed with a substantial rise in the adoption of CSS-in-JS solutions. The 2025 survey indicates a marked decrease in CSS Modules’ popularity compared to the previous year. Conversely, there has been an observable increase in the use of CSS-in-JS approaches, especially with libraries like Styled Components.

Understanding the Trends

The 2024 State of CSS survey reported considerable enthusiasm for CSS Modules, a popular methodology for modular and scoped styles in component-based development. CSS Modules allowed developers to write CSS files that are scoped locally by default, fostering maintainability and avoiding style conflicts.

However, the 2025 survey shows a notable decline in CSS Modules’ adoption. Several factors might explain this shift:

• Enhanced Support in Frameworks: Modern JavaScript frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular have integrated or improved support for CSS-in-JS solutions, making them more seamless and appealing.
• Workflow Simplification: CSS-in-JS libraries often allow styles to be written directly within JavaScript files, reducing the need for separate style management and streamlining the development process.
• Community and Ecosystem Influence: The ecosystem around CSS-in-JS has matured, with extensive community support, plugins, and integrations making these solutions more attractive.
• Maintenance and Future Development: Styled Components and similar libraries have announced maintenance modes or are focusing on new features, which might influence their adoption rates and the choices developers make for their projects.

Implications for Developers

As the CSS landscape shifts, developers should remain attentive to the evolving best practices. While CSS Modules still offer benefits, especially for projects emphasizing separation of concerns and traditional styling workflows, the trend suggests a growing favor for integrated, JavaScript-centric styling solutions.

Conclusion

The transition from CSS Modules to CSS-in-JS methods reflected in the State of CSS surveys from 2024 to 2025 underscores a broader movement towards more integrated and flexible styling approaches in modern web development. Staying informed about these trends will help developers make informed decisions aligned with their project requirements and the evolving ecosystem