Top 10 Fastest-Growing Cities
If you’re reading this from Texas, congratulations! You’re sitting in the land of plenty… of people, that is. Five of the 10 fastest-growing cities in the United States last year were in Texas: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth each added more than 18,000 residents.
Every year, the U.S. Census bureau releases a list of the most rapidly growing cities across the country, based solely upon population growth. And while it may seem like everyone you know is moving to San Francisco or Seattle or Manhattan, population is growing fastest in the Sun Belt.
This is mainly driven by a reasonable cost of living. Zillow says the median home value in San Antonio is $128,600, compared to $521,400 in Seattle or $468,000 in Boston.
Here’s the top 10:
- New York, New York: +52,700 (total pop. 8.5 million)
- Houston, Texas: +35,700 (total pop. 2.2 million)
- Los Angeles, California: +30,900 (total pop. 3.9 million)
- Austin, Texas: +25,600 (total pop. 912,000)
- San Antonio, Texas: +24,900 (total pop. 1.4 million)
- Phoenix, Arizona: +24,600 (total pop. 1.5 million)
- San Diego, California: +21,200 (total pop. 1.4 million)
- Dallas, Texas: +20,300 (total pop. 1.3 million)
- Fort Worth, Texas: +18,100 (total pop. 812,000)
- Charlotte, North Carolina: +16,000 (total pop. 809,000)
Want more? The Census Bureau’s dwellr mobile app details the top 25 U.S. cities, offering neighborhood-level statistics on home values, education, and transportation options.
Kathryn Hamilton, CAE, is Vice President for Marketing and Communications at NAIOP Corporate.
