Six of the 15 fastest-growing cities by percent change in the nation with a population of more than 50,000 people are located in Texas, according to data released May 18 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
This includes the fastest-growing city, Georgetown, which held on to the top spot for the second year in a row. Its population increased 14.4% year over year from 75,620 to 86,507.
The data released estimates the population as of July 1, 2022 and compares it to July 1, 2021.
The big picture
Including the growth in Texas, nine of the 15 fastest-growing cities were located in the southern portion of the U.S.
Furthermore, Texas took four of the top spots with Kyle, Leander and Little Elm ranking third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Texas also had six cities on the list of the 15 cities with the largest numeric population changes.
- Fort Worth topped that list adding 19,170 people from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022, according to the estimates.
- San Antonio ranked third in that category, adding 18,889 people.
- Houston, Georgetown—the only city in Texas to rank on both lists—Dallas and Frisco also made the top 15.
Diving in deeper
The following charts show data about the fastest-growing cities as well as those that saw the largest population increases.
The 15 fast-growing U.S. cities
Six of the 15 fastest growing U.S. cities by percent change are in Texas, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released May 18. The data compares population estimates from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
The 15 U.S. cities with the largest population increase
Texas also has six of the top 15 cities in terms of largest population increase, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released May 18. The data compares population estimates from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
What they are saying
Georgetown has been included in the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of fastest-growing cities since data from 2014 was released, and ranked first based on 2015, 2021 and 2022 data, according to city officials.
- “Georgetown, Texas, remained the fastest-growing city by percent change in 2022, with the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. It wasn’t the only city to retain its distinction over the year, however,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division, in the May 18 news release. “New York remained the nation’s largest city, despite its recent population decline. At 8.3 million, its population was more than twice that of the next largest city, Los Angeles, with a population of nearly 4 million.”
- “Job growth in Georgetown and across the Austin metro continues to bring new residents to our city,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in a May 18 news release. “People are moving here for the same reasons that brought many of us to Georgetown—wonderful and safe neighborhoods, fantastic parks and events, and welcoming people. We continue to adjust our plans and build new infrastructure to maintain the great quality of life for all of us who are proud to call Georgetown our home.”
Also of note
Three cities in Texas crossed major population thresholds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Rockwall joined the list of cities with more than 50,000 people.
- Both Conroe and New Braunfels grew to have more than 100,000 people with 101,405 and 104,707 as of July 1, 2022, respectively.
The two metro areas with the largest numeric population increases were also in Texas.
- The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area grew by 170,396 people and the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area added 124,281 residents.
