North Texas' population is booming

The Lone Star State led the country in population growth last year, and North Texas drove much of that increase.

The big picture: America's top 15 fastest growing cities by percentage are 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, Axios' Mike Allen writes.

Yes, but: Dallas County saw its population decrease by about 25,000 people over the same stretch.

Of note: Those population spikes can lead to affordability issues, soaring rents and mortgage rates, environmental challenges and more.

Zoom in: Census Bureau data released last month shows Fort Worth, Frisco, Denton and McKinney are all in the top 10 fastest-growing cities in numeric gains from July 2020 to July 2021.

• Georgetown, north of Austin, was the fastest-growing town in terms of percentage, increasing 10.5% from 2020 to 2021, a rate of growth that would double the population in less than seven years.

Between the lines: Once dependably conservative, these booming areas are now characterized by political crosscurrents as emigres from around the world head ever farther out of town to buy their first homes.

Flashback: Census data showed that four of the top 10 metro areas for population growth last year were in Texas.

• The Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin metro areas took the top three spots.