Census data: Texas' population booms

In a single year, Austin added enough new residents to fill more than half of the UT football stadium.

The big picture: The state's population is booming. New census data shows that four of the top 10 metro areas for population growth were in Texas.

Why it matters: The numbers present a glimpse of where people moved during the pandemic, and these figures shouldn't come as a surprise.

• Earlier this week, we shared new data on the growth of apartment construction in Sunbelt states — a sign of where the economy is likely to continue thriving.

By the numbers: Dallas-Fort Worth saw the largest increase in population growth in the country, with more than 97,000 new residents from July 2020 to July 2021.

• The Houston and Austin metros followed behind in the third and fourth top spots, with Austin seeing more than 53,300 new residents in the one-year span.
• The San Antonio metro rounded out the Texas takeover, landing No. 8 with 35,100 new residents.

When broken down by counties, U.S. census migration data showed that five counties for numeric growth were in Texas.

• Most of that migration was focused in North Texas, but Central Texas' Williamson County also landed on that list.

The bottom line: If you live in Austin, this likely doesn't come as a shock. But the figures tell us more about our changing city and state.