Population Booms in the South and West: Princeton, Texas Leads U.S. in Growth

May 15, 2025 — America’s cities are growing again — and fast. According to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly every region of the country saw a population rebound between 2023 and 2024, with Southern and Western cities surging ahead as the primary engines of growth.

At the top of the list is Princeton, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, which posted a staggering 30.6% population increase — the fastest in the nation. The city has more than doubled in size since 2020, growing from about 17,000 residents to nearly 37,000.

“Many population growth rates reversed or saw major changes between 2023 and 2024,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician with the Census Bureau. “Cities of all sizes in all regions showed faster growth — a sharp contrast to the sluggish or declining trends in recent years.”

America’s Growth Hotspots

The South remains the nation’s growth powerhouse. Cities with populations between 5,000 and 49,999 in the region saw average increases of 1.6% — the highest of any demographic bracket nationwide. The West followed closely, with larger cities there expanding by 1.0% on average.

Meanwhile, cities in the Northeast and Midwest, many of which had previously reported population losses, are now rebounding. The Northeast’s larger cities (50,000+) saw average growth of 1.0%, five times higher than their 2023 rate. Smaller towns in the region, once shrinking, also posted modest gains.

Biggest Winners by the Numbers

While Princeton stole the spotlight with its unprecedented growth, several major cities also logged impressive gains:

New York City topped the list of numeric gainers, adding 87,184 residents in a single year.

Houston, TX followed with a gain of 43,217, and Los Angeles, CA returned to the top five for the first time since 2016, adding 31,276 people.

San Antonio and Fort Worth, TX also ranked high with increases of over 23,000 residents each.

Additionally, Washington, D.C. nearly doubled its growth rate from the previous year, gaining almost 15,000 people in 2024.

Two cities — Jacksonville, Florida (1,009,833) and Fort Worth, Texas (1,008,106) — officially surpassed the 1 million-resident threshold.

Meanwhile, seven cities crossed the 100,000 population mark, five of them in the South, including Georgetown and San Angelo, Texas, and Deltona, Plantation, and Sunrise, Florida. The West added two: Tracy, California and Federal Way, Washington.

America’s Small-Town Backbone

Despite the attention on large cities, small towns still dominate the American landscape. Three out of every four incorporated places have populations under 5,000. Only 4.2% of U.S. cities are home to 50,000 or more, and fewer than 2% have reached 100,000.

Still, even these small towns are seeing signs of life. On average, towns with fewer than 5,000 residents grew by 0.3% — a turnaround from declines observed in previous years. To support population surges, the U.S. added 1.4 million new housing units between 2023 and 2024, raising the national housing stock to 146.8 million — a 1.0% increase, slightly slower than the year before.

Idaho led the country in housing growth with a 2.2% increase, followed by Utah (2.0%) and North Carolina (1.9%). On the other end, Hawaii and Alaska posted the lowest increases at just 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.

At the county level, Maricopa County, AZ — home to Phoenix — saw the largest numeric gain in housing units (38,000), with Los Angeles County, CA, and Harris County, TX not far behind.

Meanwhile, Jasper County, South Carolina, saw the fastest percentage growth in housing, at 8.4%, underscoring the housing boom accompanying Southern expansion.

Looking Ahead

This rebound in city and town populations signals a shift in post-pandemic migration patterns. With more people returning to urban areas — and AI-driven industries helping reshape where people live and work — the future of American cities appears to be one of resurgence.

More detailed maps and data, including place-level and county-level growth trends, are available on the Census Bureau’s website.

For continued updates, the Bureau is scheduled to release even more granular demographic data — including age, race, and Hispanic origin — in June 2025

Tables

Table 1. The 15 Fastest-Growing Cities and Towns Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, With Populations of 20,000 or More as of July 1, 2023

Table 2. The 15 Cities With the Largest Numeric Increase Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, With Populations of 20,000 or More as of July 1, 2023

Table 3. The 15 Most Populous Cities on July 1, 2024

Table 4. Total Population Living in Cities and Towns by Population Size as of July 1, 2024

Table 5. Population Change Between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024 by Region and Population Size as of July 1, 2023