These were Texas' fastest-growing cities in 2024, according to new Census Bureau estimates

This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.We've created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Suburban communities in Texas continue to see the fastest growth in the state, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday.
The estimates show Fulshear, Celina and Leander all in the top five fastest-growing cities in the country with populations greater than 50,000. Fulshear, west of Houston, grew at a rate of 27% between July 2023 and July 2024. Celina, a suburb of Dallas, grew by 18.2%, while Leander, north of Austin, grew by 8.7%.
Georgetown, which had been the fastest-growing city in the country for three years in a row, dropped to 21st place among cities with more than 50,000 residents, growing at a pace of 4.8%.
Population estimates: These were Texas' fastest-growing counties in 2024
The Census Bureau previously estimated Texas added 562,941 new residents between July 2023 and July 2024, more than any other state. Texas is now home to an estimated 31,290,831 people, making it the second-most populous state in the country, behind California.
While Fulshear, Celina and Leander were the fastest-growing cities with more than 50,000 people, some smaller cities grew at an even faster pace.
Princeton, a Dallas suburb, grew by 30.6% between July 2023 and July 2024, from 28,336 residents to 37,019. Jarrell, north of Austin, grew at a rate of 28.8%. Caddo Mills and Boyd, both also in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro, saw population increases of more than 25%.
In the KXAN viewing area, four cities appear in the top 30 fastest-growing in the state: Jarrell (28.8%), Marble Falls (24%), Dripping Springs (16.9%) and Liberty Hill (15%).
MORE DATA: See the population changes in each state
On the opposite end, three local cities appear in the top 30 fastest-declining cities: Meadowlakes (-3.1%), The Hills (-2.3%) and Bee Cave (-2.2%).
Use our interactive map and table below to see population changes across the state. You can look up a specific city or county using the search feature in the top left of the map.
When looking at population totals, Houston added the most new residents between July 2023 and July 2024, with more than 43,000. San Antonio was second with almost 24,000, while Fort Worth was close behind, with more than 23,400 new residents. The three cities also rank in the top five nationwide for the largest population increases.
Rounding out the top five in Texas were McKinney and Fulshear, both of which added more than 11,000 to their populations.
Only three cities in Texas saw population declines of more than 200 residents. Richardson, north of Dallas, dropped by 405, while Lakeway, west of Austin, dropped by 320. Wichita Falls saw a population decrease of 261 between July 2023 and July 2024.
Five Texas cities rank among the top 15 largest in the nation. Houston remains the largest city in the state, and the fourth-largest nationwide, with almost 2.4 million people.
San Antonio ranks seventh-largest in the nation, with more than 1.5 million residents, while Dallas ranks ninth with 1.3 million.
Fort Worth and Jacksonville, Florida, each surpassed the 1 million mark. Austin continued to drop in rankings, falling from tenth in 2022 to eleventh in 2023 to 13th in 2024, slipping below Fort Worth and San Jose, California.
New York, Los Angeles and Chicago remain the three largest cities nationwide, with Phoenix in fifth place behind Houston.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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