An average of about 34.3 million Americans packed up and moved each year over the last decade. Some did so to be in a better neighborhood, while others moved for job opportunities or another reason. And some U.S. cities have proven to be much better than others at drawing in new residents and appealing to those who are starting families.
Using metropolitan area level data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified America’s fastest growing cities. We ranked metro areas based on population change from July 2010 to July 2019. Each metro area on this list has reported a population growth of at least 19% over that period.
We also considered supplemental data on median household income and median home value from the Census’ ACS. Data on annual unemployment rate and employment changes came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Population change is the product of two factors — net migration and natural growth. Natural growth is the number of births over a given period less the number of deaths. Net migration is the difference between the number of new residents — either from other parts of the country or from abroad and the number of residents who have left the area.
The Villages is the fastest growing metro area both in Florida and nationwide. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of people living in The Villages increased by 41.7%. The Villages, located in the central part of the state, markets itself as a collection of retirement communities. Draws for new residents, many of whom are retirees, include the state’s warm climate and lack of income tax.
As is often the case in rapidly growing areas, real estate values are climbing rapidly in The Villages. The typical area home is worth $282,000, nearly 50% more than in 2010.
| Rank: | Metro area: | Pop. change; 2010-2019: | Median home value change; 2010-2019: | Unemployment rate; 2019: | Total 2019 pop.: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Villages, FL | +41.7% | +49.4% | 4.6% | 132,420 |
| 2 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | +32.0% | +31.5% | 4.0% | 496,901 |
| 3 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +29.8% | +69.7% | 2.7% | 2,227,083 |
| 4 | Midland, TX | +28.9% | +74.5% | 2.1% | 182,603 |
| 5 | St. George, UT | +28.6% | +48.9% | 3.0% | 177,556 |
| 6 | Greeley, CO | +28.3% | +101.0% | 2.5% | 324,492 |
| 7 | Bend, OR | +25.3% | +58.6% | 3.9% | 197,692 |
| 8 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | +24.5% | +63.7% | 3.1% | 770,577 |
| 9 | Provo-Orem, UT | +23.0% | +61.7% | 2.4% | 648,252 |
| 10 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | +23.0% | +37.4% | 3.4% | 1,390,785 |
| 11 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | +22.5% | +26.7% | 2.7% | 223,234 |
| 12 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | +22.2% | +51.2% | 3.0% | 2,608,147 |
| 13 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | +21.5% | +34.2% | 2.6% | 534,904 |
| 14 | Boise City, ID | +21.5% | +69.6% | 2.7% | 749,202 |
| 15 | Odessa, TX | +21.2% | +86.5% | 2.6% | 166,223 |
| 16 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | +20.7% | +33.6% | 2.7% | 284,809 |
| 17 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | +20.7% | +38.2% | 2.4% | 802,122 |
| 18 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | +20.4% | +47.3% | 3.7% | 724,777 |
| 19 | Naples-Marco Island, FL | +19.7% | +45.1% | 3.1% | 384,902 |
| 20 | Coeur d’Alene, ID | +19.7% | +56.9% | 3.6% | 165,697 |
| 21 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | +19.4% | +55.6% | 3.8% | 7,066,141 |
| 22 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | +19.2% | +58.1% | 3.1% | 836,995 |
| 23 | Fort Collins, CO | +19.1% | +69.7% | 2.4% | 356,899 |
| 24 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | +19.1% | +50.0% | 3.1% | 2,550,960 |
| 25 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | +19.0% | +68.8% | 3.3% | 7,573,136 |
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)
Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.
Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.
Click here now to get started.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
