How Texas' booming population is felt around Austin
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The Lone Star State led the country in population growth last year, and Central Texas drove much of that increase.
The big picture: America's top 15 cities by percentage growth last year were clustered in Texas, Arizona and Florida, with a few in Idaho and one in Tennessee.
Why it matters: It's the latest sign that people in the U.S. are heading South and West to build new boomtowns, tech hubs and powerhouses.
- Yes, but: Those population spikes can lead to affordability issues, soaring rents and mortgage rates, environmental challenges and more.
Zoom in: Census Bureau data released last week showed Georgetown was the fastest growing city from July 2020 to July 2021 — increasing by 10.5%.
- If that rate continues, the population will double in less than seven years.
- Next was Leander (10.1%) ... and New Braunfels (8.3%) took fifth.
Between the lines: Once dependably conservative, these areas are now characterized by political crosscurrents as emigres from liberal Austin — and from around the world — head ever further out of town to buy their first homes.
- We love the strip malls here — where you can find martial arts studios cheek-and-jowl with Polish kielbasa joints; Mexican bakeries next door to vacuum cleaner repair shops.
Flashback: Census data showed that four of the top 10 metro areas for population growth last year were in Texas.
- The Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex, Houston and Austin metro areas took the top three spots.