The Census Bureau has published a new report highlighting changes in population numbers across the United States. According to the report, Celina, Texas, just outside of Dallas is the fastest growing city in the country.
The report, titled “South Continues to Lead the Way With Largest and Fastest Growth,” reveals shifting population trends nationwide, with many of the largest and fastest-growing cities located in Texas.
“Population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities,” stated Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.
The report identifies Celina just outside of Dallas as the fastest-growing US city with an increase of population percentage of 26% between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023. Celina was followed by Fulshear, Princeton, and Anna—all in Texas.
Georgetown, Prosper, Forney, and Kyle, Texas, also rank among the top 15 fastest-growing cities.
Celina was also one of the top 15 largest-gaining cities in the country between July 2022 and July 2023, experiencing a population increase of 9,110.
Additionally, the report identified Fort Worth as the second largest-gaining city in the country with an increased population of 21, 365 following San Antonio.
Other Texas cities, including Houston, Georgetown, Fulshear, and Denton, also feature prominently among the largest-gaining cities in the nation.
Currently, Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, trailing Chicago, Illinois. However, with Houston’s population increasing and Chicago’s declining, Houston is poised to overtake Chicago in population size.
This marks the tenth consecutive year of population decline for Chicago. Between July 2022 and July 2023, Chicago’s population decreased from 2,672,660 to 2,664,452, a 0.3% decline, representing the third-largest drop of any US city. New York City and Philadelphia experienced the two largest population declines.
In contrast, Houston’s population grew by 11,669, rising from 2,302,488 to 2,314,157, a 0.5% increase.
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, if current population trends continue, Houston is projected to overtake Chicago as the third-largest US city by 2035.