With just a couple of exceptions, the fastest-growing cities in America are located in the South, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, the most recent data available, Texas cities dominated the list of the fastest-growing 15.
"The population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities," said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. "Thirteen of the 15 fastest-growing cities were in the South, with eight in Texas alone."
Top 15 Fastest Growing Cities
Celina, located near Dallas, grew by more than a quarter – a whopping 53 times the national growth rate of 0.5%, according to the Census Bureau.
Outside of southern communities, the only two to make the list of fastest-growing cities were Lathrop, California (13.6%) and Athens, Ohio (8.6%).
When it comes to the largest total gains, San Antonio, Texas was first (21,970), followed by Fort Worth, Texas (21,365) and Charlotte, N.C. (15,607).
Prior analyses by the National Association of Realtors found that people moving within the United States in 2022 tended to leave large states and metropolitan areas to save money amid soaring mortgage and inflation rates.
How is Population Shifting in Cities or Towns in Your State?
Population growth in U.S. cities is also caused by international migration, with 1,138,989 foreign nationals moving to the United States, according to Census data.
States that received the greatest influx of new residents from abroad were Florida (178,432), California (150,983), Texas (128,982), New York (73,867) and Massachusetts (50,647).
When it comes to domestic migration, these states lost the most people: California (-338,371), New York (-216,778), Illinois (-83,839), and New Jersey (-44,666).
States with the biggest domestic migration gains were Florida (194,438), Texas (186,767), North Carolina (97,264) and South Carolina (82,562).
