San Antonio ranked as the fastest growing city in the country, according to new data

San Antonio was ranked as the fastest-growing U.S. city in terms of numeric population growth between 2021 and 2022, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bureau’s numbers show that 13,626 people relocated to the Alamo City during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, only 1,056 people packed their belongings and moved to Austin during that same period.

The U.S. cities with biggest numeric population growth from 2020 to 2021 include:

1. San Antonio, 13,626
2. Phoenix, 13,224
3. Fort Worth, 12,916
4. Port St. Lucie, 10,771
5. North Las Vegas, 9,917

Although San Antonio came in at No. 1 in terms of sheer numbers, Fort Worth’s population grew by 1.4%, making it the fastest-growing major city in Texas on a percentage basis. San Antonio’s population grew by 0.95%.

Other big cities in the Lone Star State didn’t fare as well.

Both Dallas and Houston saw their populations decline by several thousand people. However, it’s possible that residents in those cities relocated to the surrounding suburbs, many of which ranked as some of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

The U.S. cities with the fastest population growth by percentage from 2020 to 2021 include:

1. Georgetown, Texas, 10.5%
2. Leander, Texas, 10.1%
3. Queen Creek, Arizona, 8.9%
4. Buckeye, Arizona, 8.6%
5. New Braunfels, Texas, 8.3%

The population of the Austin suburb of Georgetown grew by 10.5%, making it the fastest-growing city in the country, percentage-wise. Leander, also located outside of Austin, and New Braunfels had the No. 2 and No.5 growth rates, respectively.

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This article appears in May 18-31, 2022.