U.S. Census Bureau: Hey Fort Worth, you’re now No. 15

Census 

Census Bureau Reveals Fastest-Growing Large Cities

Texas takes three of the top five cities, seven of top 15

Hey Fort Worth, you’re now No. 15.

Fort Worth raced past Indianapolis to become the 15th most populous U.S. city with a population of 874,168.

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Three of the top five cities or towns with the largest population gains are from the Lone Star State in 2017, according to new population estimates released Thursday, May 24, by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“San Antonio, Texas, tops the list with the largest population gain with an increase of over 24,200 people – an average of 66 people per day between 2016 and 2017,” Amel Toukabri, a demographer in the Population Division of the Census Bureau, said in a news release. “That’s a growth rate of 1.6 percent. This growth was enough to push San Antonio’s population above the 1.5 million mark.”

Other Texas cities with the largest population gains included Dallas (18,900) and Fort Worth (18,700). Other than Fort Worth’s move up to No. 15, the rest of the top 15 remains unchanged.

Additionally, the release said Frisco was the fastest-growing large city (population of 50,000 or more) at 8.2 percent, making its growth rate more than 11 times faster than the nation’s growth rate of 0.7 percent.

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San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Frisco took 1st, 3rd, 4th and 9th respectiveley for the Census Bureau’s top 15 cities with the largest numeric increase from July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2017 (Populations of 50,000 or more in 2016).

But that isn’t the end, seven Texas towns and cities made the top 15 list of fastest-growing (by percent increase) large cities and towns list:

— Frisco took 1st place with 8.2 percent growth and a total population of 177,286

— New Braunfels took 2nd with 8 percent growth and 79,152 total residents

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— Pflugerville came in 3rd at 6.5 percent growth and 63,359 residents

— Georgetown followed at 6th with 5.4 percent growth and a population of 70,685

— McKinney city took 9th with 4.8 percent growth and 181,330 total residents

— Flower Mound came in 11th at 4.3 percent growth and a total population of 76,681

— and finally Cedar Park took 13th at 4.2 percent growth and 75,704 residents

Though all that’s been mentioned thus far are the 3.9 percent of cities with populations of 50,000 or more, the Census Bureau reminds that our country is a nation of small towns.

Of the 325.7 million people in the U.S., the bureau estimates that an estimated 205 million (62.9 percent) live within an incorporated place, as of July 1, 2017. Additionally, of the approximately 19,500 incorporated places across the country, the bureau estimated that about 76 percent had fewer than 5,000 people and nearly 50 percent had fewer than 1,000 people.

But let’s also take a look at population growth regionally.

As of July 1, 2017, the West had the highest share of its population living within an incorporated place at 76.7 percent, followed by the Midwest at 71.4 percent, and finally the Northeast at 51.4 percent.

The South had the most city residents of any region at 67.9 million, but that accounts for only a little over half (54.9 percent) of the South’s 123.7 million total population.

The release explained that since the 2010 Census, large cities in the South and West have led the nation in population growth with an average increase of 10 percent (16,206) and 7.8 percent (12,256), respectively. According to the bureau, those in the Northeast and Midwest grew on average by 2.2 percent (9,104) and 3 percent (3,942), respectively.

Since the 2010 Census, the bureau says the nation’s housing stock has increased by 5.7 million units (4.3 percent). Texas sits at No. 3 in the top five states by percent gain with 9.6 percent.

Fourteen states added more than 100,000 housing units between Census Day April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017, the bureau explained, adding that in terms of the largest numeric increase, Texas came in No. 1 at 955,000 housing units added.

On June 21, 2018, the Census Bureau will release 2017 population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin for the nation, states and counties.

For more highlights from this year’s release and local-level statistics, visit census.gov.