Austin’s neighbors lead the country in population growth (again)

Four of the top five fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are in Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Georgetown tops the list, as it did last year, with Kyle and Leander in the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively. Little Elm, north of Dallas, placed fifth on the annual list.

Five other Texas cities were in the bureau’s top 15.

Central Texas cities, in particular, have led the country in growth over the past few years. Georgetown experienced the largest growth in population – 14.4 percent since last year.

Kyle and Leander both grew by nearly 11 percent. New Braunfels saw a 5.7 percent bump in population. That growth put the city’s population above 100,000 residents, the data showed.

Austin also saw a population increase. According to the data, it’s now the 10th most populous city, moving up from the No. 11 spot last year. Four of the top 10 most populous cities in the U.S. are in Texas.

Much of that growth came from international migration into Travis County over the last couple of years, Census Bureau demographer Amel Toukabri said.

Austin’s step up on the Census Bureau’s list comes after a precipitous tumble on another one released this week.

Once a darling on top 10 lists for places to live, work, eat and play, Austin dropped to the 40th spot on U.S. News and World Report’s best places to live. Last year, the city ranked 13th.

This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.

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