The 15 Fastest-Growing Cities in the US

The U.S. Census Bureau released new 2023 population estimates on May 16 showing a slew of data for cities of all sizes and regions. Do you know the population change last year for the 15 largest cities in your state?

2 minute read

June 3, 2024, 8:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


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The Census Bureau began its May 16 press release by noting a bright spot for the Northeast, the only region that lost population from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, ​ according to the bureau's initial press release of population data for 2023 last December.

Large cities in the Northeast and Midwest grew in 2023, reversing earlier population declines, according to Vintage 2023 Population Estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new update shows that among the 15 fastest growing cities with 20,000+ population as of July 1, 2023, over half were in Texas, with most of the remainder in the South. Notable exceptions were #5: Lathrop, California, and #15, Athens, Ohio.

Table 1. The 15 Fastest-Growing Cities Between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, With Populations of 20,000 or More as of July 1, 2022
Rank Area Name State % Increase 2023 Total Population
1 Celina city Texas 26.6  43,317
2 Fulshear city Texas 25.6  42,616
3 Princeton city Texas 22.3  28,027
4 Anna city Texas 16.9  27,501
5 Lathrop city California 13.6  39,857
6 Centerton city Arkansas 11.2  23,953
7 Haines city Florida 10.8  37,272
8 Georgetown city Texas 10.6  96,312
9 Prosper town Texas 10.5  41,660
10 Forney city Texas 10.4  35,470
11 Kyle city Texas 9.0  62,548
12 Lebanon city Tennessee 8.9  48,112
13 Fort Mill town South Carolina 8.8  33,626
14 Leesburg city Florida 8.7  31,721
15 Athens city Ohio 8.6 24,673

Credit: U.S. Census Bureau, May 16, 2024

State data

The Census staff constructed an interactive map of the U.S. showing the 15 largest cities in every state with their:

  • Population: July 1, 2022
  • Population: July 1, 2023
  • Percent difference
  • State total percent change in population

Put your browser on the state to see the data.

National data

Notwithstanding the population decline in the Northeast, "[m]ore states experienced population growth in 2023 than in any year since the start of the pandemic," noted the Census Bureau on Dec. 19, 2023. The nation grew by 0.5%, adding 1.6 million to nearly 335 million people

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Irvin Dawid

Irvin Dawid discovered Planetizen when a classmate in an urban planning lab at San Jose State University shared it with him in 2003. When he left San Jose State that year, he took with him an interest in Planetizen, if not the master's degree in urban & regional planning.

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