Here are the Fastest Growing Cities in the US

America remains a nation of small towns and villages and many of them, especially in the South, saw their populations grow between 2022 and 2023, a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows.

The report focuses on cities, as opposed to metro areas. By the Bureau’s count, there are some 19,500 incorporated places in the U.S. Only 39% of the population lived in cities of 50,000 or more. Of the remainder, about 75% had fewer than 5,000 people in 2023, and nearly 33% had fewer than 500.

“Small towns in the Midwest and Northeast experienced lower rates of decline in 2023, decreasing by an average of 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively, compared to 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively, in 2022. Meanwhile, small towns in the West grew on average by 0.3% in 2023, a slower pace than its 0.5% growth rate in 2022. In contrast, small towns in the South grew by an average 0.6% in 2023, one-and-a-half times faster than the 0.4% growth in 2022,” the Bureau reported.

Cities in the Northeast and Midwest with populations over 50,000 reversed declines in 2022 and grew by an average of 0.2% and 0.1% respectively. In the West, they grew 0.2% on average. And in the South, they led the nation with a 1% average rise in population, leading in both numeric and percentage terms.

Thirteen of America’s 15 fastest growing cities were in the South, and eight were in Texas.

Celina, near Dallas, led cities with populations of 20,000 or more, increasing its population by 26.6% — “more than 53 times that of the nation’s growth rate of 0.5%,” the Bureau reported.

And another Texas city, San Antonio, added 22,000 people to its base, making it the nation’s frontrunner and pushing it close to the 1.5 million mark. However, two formerly fast-growing Texas cities, Kyle and Georgetown, experienced slower growth.

The 10 cities with populations of 20,000 or more that experienced the highest influx of residents were San Antonio, Fort Worth, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie, Atlanta, Houston, Georgetown, Celina, and Raleigh.

The fastest growth in housing units was experienced in Utah, rising 2.5% in the year. It was followed by Idaho (2.3%) and South Dakota (2.2%). The slowest growth rates were in Alaska, Rhode Island, and Illinois. By the numbers, Harris County, TX led with 36,000 new units, tied with Maricopa County, AZ, and followed by Los Angeles (29,000).

The fastest growing county was Falls Church, VA, where the housing stock rose 13.5%. Two Utah counties were in the top five: Rich County and Wassatch County. The other top contenders were Jasper County, SC, and Billings County, ND.

The nation’s most populous cities were New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, Jacksonville (which jumped ahead of Austin), and Fort Worth (which beat out San Jose).