Census Bureau Shows Population Growth Spots

Source: www.census.gov.
Source: www.census.gov.

Five of the Nation’s Eleven Fastest-Growing Cities are in Texas, Census Bureau Reports

Released by the Public Information Office, census.gov

Georgetown, Texas, saw its population rise 7.8 percent between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, making it the nation’s fastest-growing city with a population of 50,000 or more, according to estimates released today by the US Census Bureau.

Georgetown is part of the Austin-Round Rock metro area, which crossed the 2 million population threshold in 2015 for the first time, according to statistics released earlier this year. This metro area is also home to Pflugerville TX, the nation’s 11th fastest-growing large city. Austin itself added more people over the period (19,000) than all but seven other US cities.

Texas was home to five of the 11 fastest-growing cities (New Braunfels, Frisco and Pearland were the others), and five of the eight that added the most people (Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas were the others).

New York remained the nation’s most populous city and gained 55,000 people during the year ending July 1, 2015, which is more than any other US city. New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a separate county equivalent of New York State. The five boroughs are Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Queens (16,700), Brooklyn (16,000) and the Bronx (13,700) accounted for the bulk of New York’s growth.

Denver, Colorado joined the list of the 20 most populous cities in the United States, moving up two spots to 19th. It displaced Detroit, which fell from 18th to 21st. In addition, Seattle moved up two spots to 18th. Denver and Seattle were both among the nation’s 11 top numerically gaining cities.

Among the 15 fastest-growing cities, the only one outside the South or West was Ankeny, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. It grew by 6.5 percent, ranking third. Ankeny completed a special census on Dec. 10, 2014, that showed the population to be 54,598. The 2015 estimate puts the population at 56,764.

The statistics released today cover all local functioning governmental units, including incorporated places (like cities and towns), minor civil divisions (such as townships) and consolidated cities (government units for which the functions of an incorporated place and its parent county have merged).

Other highlights:

  • Seven cities crossed the 100,000 population threshold between 2014 and 2015:
    • Hillsboro, Oregon
    • Vista, California
    • Greeley, Colorado
    • Davie, Florida
    • San Angelo, Texas
    • Jurupa Valley, California
    • Renton, Washington
  • Seven cities crossed the 50,000 population mark for the first time between 2014 and 2015:
    • Poway, California
    • Bonita Springs, Florida
    • Edina, Minnesota
    • Galveston, Texas
    • Logan, Utah
    • Leesburg, Virginia
    • Olympia, Washington
  • Two cities dropped below the 50,000 threshold:
    • Troy, New York
    • Charleston, West Virginia
  • Aside from New York, each of the 15 cities that gained the highest number of people between 2014 and 2015 were in the South or West. Three were in California (Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco).
  • Arlington, Texas, rejoined the list of the 50 most populous cities, displacing Cleveland.
  • Among the 50 largest cities in the country, there were several other cities that moved more than one position on the population ranking list since 2014. In addition to Denver and Seattle, Portland, Oregon, rose two positions to 26th; Baltimore fell three positions to 29th; Colorado Springs moved up two positions to 40th; and Omaha, Neb., fell two positions to 43rd.
  • Last December, the Census Bureau released state population estimates that showed North Carolina crossed the 10 million population threshold for the first time. Contributing to the state reaching this milestone were Charlotte, North Carolina, which added nearly 18,000 people to make it the 10th largest numerical gainer in the country, and Raleigh added roughly 11,000 people to rank 18th. These two cities accounted for almost 28 percent of the state’s population growth.
  • California and Arizona each had two cities on the list of the 15 fastest growing.
  • Mount Pleasant South Carolina, was the nation’s 10th fastest-growing city. Mount Pleasant is part of the Charleston-North Charleston metro area, one of the nation’s 20 fastest growing.
  • Of the 19,505 incorporated places in the United States, around 76 percent (14,804) had fewer than 5,000 people in 2015. Only about 3.9 percent (754) had populations of 50,000 or more.

For more information about the geographic areas for which the Census Bureau produces population estimates, see www.census.gov/popest/about/geo-topics.html.

To produce population estimates for cities and towns, the Census Bureau first generates county population estimates using a component of population change method, which updates the latest census population using data on births, deaths, and domestic and international migration. This yields a county-level total of the population living in households. Next, updated housing unit estimates and rates of overall occupancy are used to distribute county household population into geographic areas within the county. Then, estimates of the population living in group quarters, such as college dormitories and prisons, are added to create estimates of the total resident population.

Table 1. The 15 Fastest-Growing Cities Between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, With Populations of 50,000 or More on July 1, 2014
Rank Area Name State Name Percent
Increase
2015 Total Population
1 Georgetown city Texas 7.8 63,716
2 New Braunfels city Texas 6.6 70,543
3 Ankeny city Iowa 6.5 56,764
4 Frisco city Texas 6.3 154,407
5 South Jordan city Utah 6.0 66,648
6 Dublin city California 5.5 57,721
7 Pearland city Texas 5.3 108,821
8 Milpitas city California 5.3 77,604
9 Broomfield city Colorado 5.2 65,065
10 Mount Pleasant town South Carolina 4.7 81,317
11 Pflugerville city Texas 4.5 57,122
12 Fort Myers city Florida 4.4 74,013
13 Murfreesboro city Tennessee 4.4 126,118
14 Goodyear city Arizona 4.3 79,003
15 Buckeye town Arizona 4.3 62,138

 

 

Table 2. The 15 Cities With the Largest Numeric Increase Between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, With Populations of 50,000 or more on July 1, 2014
Rank Area Name State Name Numeric Increase 2015 Total Population
1 New York city New York 55,211 8,550,405
2 Houston city Texas 40,032 2,296,224
3 Los Angeles city California 34,943 3,971,883
4 San Antonio city Texas 29,536 1,469,845
5 Phoenix city Arizona 24,614 1,563,025
6 Fort Worth city Texas 19,894 833,319
7 Dallas city Texas 19,642 1,300,092
8 Austin city Texas 19,117 931,830
9 Denver city Colorado 18,582 682,545
10 Charlotte city North Carolina 17,695 827,097
11 Seattle city Washington 15,339 684,451
12 Jacksonville city Florida 13,069 868,031
13 San Diego city California 12,677 1,394,928
14 Washington city District of Columbia 12,392 672,228
15 San Francisco city California 12,279 864,816

 

 

Table 3. The 15 Most Populous Cities on July 1, 2015
Rank Area Name State Name 2015 Total Population
1 New York city New York 8,550,405
2 Los Angeles city California 3,971,883
3 Chicago city Illinois 2,720,546
4 Houston city Texas 2,296,224
5 Philadelphia city Pennsylvania 1,567,442
6 Phoenix city Arizona 1,563,025
7 San Antonio city Texas 1,469,845
8 San Diego city California 1,394,928
9 Dallas city Texas 1,300,092
10 San Jose city California 1,026,908
11 Austin city Texas 931,830
12 Jacksonville city Florida 868,031
13 San Francisco city California 864,816
14 Indianapolis city (balance) Indiana 853,173
15 Columbus city Ohio 850,106

Ed. Note: Emphasis to North Carolina and Colorado mentions were added by The Grey Area News editor.

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About Kay Whatley 2309 Articles
Kay Whatley serves as Editor and Reporter with The Grey Area News. Kay is a published author with over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. Kay Whatley is wife to Frank Whatley, founder of The Grey Area™ newspaper and The Grey Area News online news website.