Small cities in major Texas metro areas were the fastest-growing municipalities in the United States last year, with small communities in the South outpacing the rest of the country, which saw… Population slowdown Since the beginning Immigration campaign Last year, according to figures released Thursday.
Celina, Princeton, Melissa and Anna — all part of Dallas-Fort Worth — were the No. 1, 3, 4 and 5 fastest-growing U.S. cities with populations of 20,000 or more from mid-2024 to mid-2025, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Fulshear, located in metro Houston, was the second-fastest growing city in America. Annual growth rates for the five Texas cities ranged from approximately 15% to approximately 25%.
In pure numbers, Celina, with a population of just 64,000 people, has grown by 12,700 people compared to Seattle and Houston, the two larger cities, 12 times and 37 times, respectively.
The small and medium-sized cities are well positioned among America’s largest cities, which have been hit hardest by the loss of immigrants from a crackdown that began last year during the second Trump administration, and weak growth in small towns, according to Matt Erickson, a statistician with the Census Bureau.
Nine out of 10 of the biggest gainers by population were from Southern cities due to a healthy job market and relative affordability. Charlotte, North Carolina, was the largest numerical gainer. Fort Worth, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; And Selena.
Fort Worth leapfrogged Jacksonville last year to rank as the 10th most populous U.S. city, placing four Texas cities in the top 10 most populous in the country, the others being Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
Austin has surpassed San Jose as the 12th most populous city, with the Texas capital surpassing 1 million residents for the first time. It is now one of twelve American cities with a population of one million or more.
Seattle was the only non-Southern city to make the top 10 in digital population gains last year, at No. 5.
Like many large cities, especially on the coasts, Seattle lost population during the height of the pandemic half a decade ago. But recent construction of new housing has helped ease affordability in the city, making it more attractive for residents to stay in the core city rather than move to outlying suburbs in the metro area, according to the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
This growth was driven by immigrants, especially from China and India. International migration accounted for nearly three-quarters of the region’s population increase, according to county-level population estimates released in March.
The two cities with the greatest rates of population loss last year — Twentynine Palms, California, near Joshua Tree National Park, and Key West at the southern tip of Florida — were in places with tight housing markets. Their losses ranged from -2.4% to -2.9%.
In Twentynine Palms, much of the housing has been converted into short-term rentals for tourists heading to the national park. Just under 40% of its homes are occupied by owners, compared with the national average of 65%, according to Census Bureau figures.
Key West’s limited housing stock, as well as some of the highest home insurance rates in the United States, has driven up housing costs in the Conch Republic, which is surrounded on all sides by water. The median home price in Key West was $1.3 million at the beginning of this year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Other cities that experienced some of the greatest rates of population loss last year were hit by natural disasters.
Hurricanes Helen and Milton Hit Florida’s Gulf Coast within weeks of each other in late 2024. Remains of Helen It blew across western North Carolinaleaving behind devastating hurricanes and floods. Among the cities with the greatest loss rates were Asheville, North Carolina, and several cities on Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Largo and Clearwater.
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