Why do Americans move? It’s probably no surprise that the most common motivators are housing, followed by family-related reasons and job-related reasons.
In 2022, three states -- New York, Illinois and Louisiana -- lost more population than any others: nearly 1% of their population to net migration (the sum total of people moving in and out of an area.) The three states that gained the most were Florida, Idaho and South Carolina, at 1.9%, 1.8% and 1.7%, respectively, according to a National Realtor Association analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Texas was the fourth biggest change, growing by 231,000 people, or 1.6%.
New census data released May 18 found that nine of the nation’s 15 fastest-growing cities were in the South, and of those nine, six are in Texas and three are in Florida.
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The city of Georgetown, Texas, was the fastest-growing city by percent change between July ’21 and ’22, with the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns that have 50,000 people or more. The city, outside of Austin, expanded by 14.4%.
Georgetown is on a roll: the previous year, it grew 10.5% and has been on the Census Bureau's list of the 10 fastest-growing cities since 2015.
“Job growth in Georgetown and across the Austin metro continues to bring new residents to our city,” said Georgetown's Mayor Josh Schroeder in a recent press release. Georgetown’s population was 67,176 in the 2020 census and has added 19,331 residents since then. Major employers there, besides government, include Airborn Inc., which makes rugged connectors, hospitals and healthcare companies and Southwestern University.
In terms of sheer numbers, the city of Fort Worth, Texas, gained the most people: 19,170, about 2% of its population of 956,709. The Dallas-Fort Worth area overall grew by a whopping 170,396 people.
Based on the Census Bureau's latest data, here are the fastest growing cities in the U.S.:
The Fastest Growing Cities By Percent of Population
1. Georgetown, Texas
- Percent increase: 14.4%
- 2022 total population: 86,507
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2. Santa Cruz, California
- Percent increase: 12.5%
- 2022 total population: 61,800
3. Kyle, Texas
- Percent increase: 10.9%
- 2022 total population: 57,470
4. Leander, Texas
- Percent increase: 10.9%
- 2022 total population: 74,375
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5. Little Elm, Texas
- Percent increase: 8%
- 2022 total population: 55,357
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6. Westfield, Indiana
- Percent increase: 7.7%
- 2022 total population: 54,605
7. Queen Creek, Arizona
- Percent increase: 6.7%
- 2022 total population: 70,734
8. North Port, Florida
- Percent increase: 6.6%
- 2022 total population: 85,099
9. Cape Coral, Florida
- Percent increase: 6.4%
- 2022 total population: 216,992
10. Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Percent increase: 6.4%
- 2022 total population: 231,790
Port St. Lucie is one of three cities that grew most by both percent and numeric increase.
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11. Conroe, Texas
- Percent increase: 6.3%
- 2022 total population: 101,405
12. Maricopa, Arizona
- Percent increase: 6.2%
- 2022 total population: 66,290
13. New Braunfels, Texas
- Percent increase: 5.7%
- 2022 total population: 104,707
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14. Lehi, Utah
- Percent increase: 5.6%
- 2022 total population: 84,373
15. Medford, Massachusetts
- Percent increase: 5.2%
- 2022 total population: 65,399
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Vintage 2022 Population Estimates, release date: May 2023.
The following 15 cities grew the most numerically between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022.
The Cities That Gained the Most People
1. Fort Worth, Texas
- Numeric increase: 19,170
- 2022 total population: 956,709
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2. Phoenix
- Numeric increase: 19,053
- 2022 total population: 1.64 million
3. San Antonio, Texas
- Numeric increase: 18,889
- 2022 total population: 1.47 million
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4. Seattle
- Numeric increase: 17,749
- 2022 total population: 749,256
5. Charlotte, North Carolina
- Numeric increase: 15,217
- 2022 total population: 897,720
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6. Jacksonville, Florida
- Numeric increase: 14,408
- 2022 total population: 971,319
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7. Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Numeric increase: 13,887
- 2022 total population: 231,790
8. Cape Coral, Florida
- Numeric increase: 13,017
- 2022 total population: 216,992
Cape Coral is one of three cities that grew most by both percent and numeric increase.
9. Houston
- Numeric increase: 11,223
- 2022 total population: 2.3 million
10. Georgetown, Texas
- Numeric increase: 10,887
- 2022 total population: 86,507
Georgetown is one of three cities that grew most by both percent and numeric increase.
11. North Las Vegas, Nevada
- Numeric increase: 9,419
- 2022 total population: 280,543
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12. Henderson, Nevada
- Numeric increase: 8,994
- 2022 total population: 331,415
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13. Dallas
- Numeric increase: 8,833
- 2022 total population: 1.3 million
14. Irvine, California
- Numeric increase: 8,589
- 2022 total population: 313,685
15. Frisco, Texas
- Numeric increase: 8,506
- 2022 total population: 219,587
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Vintage 2022 Population Estimates, release date: May 2023.
The Census Bureau also said that while nearly 40% (129.6 million) of the nation’s population lives in the 4.1% (798) of cities bigger than 50,000 people, the U.S. remains a nation of small towns: Of approximately 19,500 incorporated places, about 75% had fewer than 5,000 people and nearly 33% had fewer than 500.
And big cities are still big: The most populous cities according to the recent data are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix.
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