Austin gets leap-frogged by Fort Worth
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Fort Worth has surpassed Austin to become the fourth-largest city in Texas.
Why it matters: Austin's drop may have as much to do with its slowing rate of growth than Fort Worth's boom.
By the numbers: Austin grew by 0.4% between 2023 and 2024.
- That's the slowest rate of growth among the nation's 15 largest cities.
Between the lines: Austin's slowing growth has been tied to its affordability challenges, which make it hard to retain Austinites and draw people from other parts of Texas who may instead move to San Antonio or Houston, city of Austin demographer Lila Valencia tells Axios.
- The slower growth also reflects the post-pandemic tech downturn in Austin.
- Finally, relative to other cities with more established immigrant enclaves, Austin hasn't seen a comparable surge in international growth, Valencia says.
What they're saying: "What this really shows is Austin's population growth is linked to its ability to keep people here, to make it affordable for people who want to stay, and is linked to how well we can attract young workers and how well we're able to continue to grow our immigrant population, and be the cosmopolitan, global city many of these cities are," Valencia says.
Between the lines: Austin's suburbs, benefitting from the affordability issues that bedevil Austin, continue to rapidly grow.