Houston suburbs continue to boom
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Harris County is being outpaced in growth by its surrounding areas.
Why it matters: This zoomed-in view offers a close look at population change within states — for instance, there's huge growth around Texas' major cities, but many of its rural counties are shrinking, per an Axios analysis of the latest census data.
By the numbers: Harris County continued to grow, with 3.4% more people in 2019–2023 than in 2014–2018.
- Surrounding counties saw far more dramatic increases, with Chambers County experiencing the largest population growth rate in the Houston area over the past five years (+22.1%).
- Liberty County's population increased by 19.7%, Waller County by 18.9%, Montgomery County by 18.1% and Fort Bend by 16.3%.
The big picture: Texas is home to America's fastest-growing large counties, per an Axios analysis of the latest census data.
- Kaufman County (35.2% more people in 2019–2023 compared to 2014–2018), Comal County (+29.2%) and Hays County (+25.6%) are the country's fastest-growing counties with more than 100,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
The big picture: Between 2023 and 2024, Texas had the largest numeric increase in new residents, adding nearly 563,000 people, per a separate Census Bureau release. The state's population was more than 31 million last year.
- Texas also saw the highest natural increase in population, meaning births outnumbered deaths in the state.
Between the lines: Although many Americans move domestically in search of better jobs, lower costs and so on, migration from outside the country is the main driver of national population growth.
- Texas ranked No. 3 in the nation last year for largest migration gains from people moving into and out of the U.S.
- Migration "accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024," the Census Bureau said in a recent write-up.
- "This reflects a continued trend of rising international migration, with a net increase of 1.7 million in 2022 and 2.3 million in 2023."
What's next: Population trends could be affected by President-elect Trump's plan to deport millions of people.