The talk around the world is about the rise of the city. But in the U.S., suburbanization is accelerating, according to new Census data released today.
What's happening: Since about 2011, the growth of the urban counties of large cities has been sliding. Population growth in their higher-density suburbs has been falling since 2015 as well. But, as you see in the chart above, lower-density suburbs had the highest growth among all places, and exurbs and small towns have also been on the rise, according to an analysis of the data by Jed Kolko, chief economist at Indeed.
Another surprise: "For the first time since 2010, rural areas gained population," Kolko tells Axios. "And in the handful of rural areas where at least 30% of adults have a college degree, population growth was a bit ahead of the national average."