These 25 Cities Have Grown the Most Since 2010

New Braunfels is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area. The city continues to be among the fast-growing cities in America, nearly doubling in size since 2000, where the local population was about 37,000. Growth has slowed down a little with about 13,000 new residents moving in over the last eight years. The metro area is among the cheapest places where people want to live right now, with a cost of living 5.6% less than the national average and a median household income of over $57,000.

Buckeye, a city and a rural community just a few miles from Phoenix, Arizona, had just over 6,500 people calling it home in 2000. The city continues to grow considerably, at least partially due to affordable housing and great public schools. Some newcomes like the fact that Buckeye is still a small town compared with major cities in Arizona and thus it’s quieter and the air is cleaner. Buckeye is growing so fast, locals have started to complain that the city can’t keep up with the infrastructure.

Unlike most cities on this list, the population of Santa Fe, New Mexico, grew significantly more between 2010 and 2018 than in the previous 10 years. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of residents increased from 62,000 to almost 68,000; from 2010 until 2018, however, the population grew to nearly 83,000. The largest driver of growth is domestic migration. Possible reasons for people to choose Santa Fe as their new home include its higher standard of living — incomes tend to be higher than the average statewide. The typical metro area household earns $58,821 a year, about $12,000 more than the median income of $46,744 across New Mexico.

The population of Meridian, which is about 12 miles west of Boise, Idaho, has almost tripled since 2000, when nearly 35,000 lived there. Most of the population increase occurred between 2000 and 2010, when about 35,000 people moved to the city. Since 2010, approximately 15,000 new residents have called Meridian their home. People are moving there for a few reasons — low cost of living, family-friendly environment, and, because of its location, an abundance of recreation options.

The population of Pearland, Texas, a suburb of Houston, has almost quadrupled since 2000, exploding from 37,640 people to about 91,000 in 2010 and up to almost 114,000 in 2018. The city has been ranked among the safest in the Lone Star state. Affordable cost of living as well as proximity to Houston make it desirable to newcomers.