Small cities within major Texas metropolitan areas emerged as the fastest-growing municipalities in the United States last year, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The figures, released on Thursday, cover the period from mid-2024 to mid-2025 and highlight a trend where smaller communities in the South outpaced the rest of the nation, which has experienced a general population slowdown since the implementation of stricter immigration policies last year.
Texas Dominates Growth Rankings
Four Texas cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex—Celina, Princeton, Melissa, and Anna—secured the top spots for growth rates among U.S. cities with populations of 20,000 or more. Celina ranked first, followed by Princeton at third, Melissa at fourth, and Anna at fifth. Fulshear, located in the Houston metropolitan area, claimed the second position. The year-over-year growth rates for these five Texas cities ranged from approximately 15% to nearly 25%.
In absolute numbers, Celina, with a population of just 64,000, added more residents—12,700—than much larger cities such as Seattle and Houston, which are 12 and 37 times larger, respectively. This phenomenon underscores the appeal of small to medium-sized cities, which have struck a balance between the largest U.S. cities—most affected by the loss of immigrants due to the crackdown initiated during the second Trump administration—and the stagnant growth seen in many small towns, according to Matt Erickson, a Census Bureau statistician.
Southern Cities Lead Numeric Gains
Nine out of ten of the largest numeric population gainers were cities in the South, driven by robust job markets and relative affordability. The top numeric gainers included Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Celina. Fort Worth surpassed Jacksonville to become the 10th most populous U.S. city, placing four Texas cities—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth—among the nation's top ten. Additionally, Austin overtook San Jose for the 12th spot, surpassing 1 million residents for the first time and joining a dozen U.S. cities with populations of 1 million or more.
Seattle's Rebound
Seattle was the only non-Southern city to break into the top ten for numeric population gains, landing at fifth place. Like many large coastal cities, Seattle lost population during the peak of the pandemic five years ago. However, recent construction of new housing has alleviated affordability concerns, encouraging residents to remain in the core city rather than moving to distant suburbs, according to the Washington State Office of Financial Management. The growth was largely driven by immigrants, particularly from China and India, with international migration accounting for nearly three-quarters of the area's population gains, as indicated by county-level estimates released in March.
Population Losses: Housing and Disasters
The cities with the highest rates of population loss were Twentynine Palms, California, near Joshua Tree National Park, and Key West, Florida, at the southern tip of the state. Their losses ranged from -2.4% to -2.9%. Both locations suffer from tight housing markets. In Twentynine Palms, a significant portion of housing has been converted into short-term rentals for tourists, with less than 40% of housing occupied by owners, compared to the national average of 65%. Key West, constrained by water on all sides, faces limited housing stock and some of the highest home insurance rates in the U.S., driving up costs. The median home price in Key West was $1.3 million at the start of the year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Other cities experiencing notable population losses were affected by natural disasters.
