Bexar County gained 30,831 new residents from 2016 to 2017 for a 1.6 percent population increase, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau estimates. With 1,958,578 residents at the end of last year, it was the U.S. county with the 6th largest population increase.
And Bexar wasn't the only Texas county awash in new residents.
From 2016-2017, six of the nation's 10 largest-gaining counties were in the Lone Star State, according to Census estimates. Harris County's 35,939 new residents marked the state's largest 2016-2017 increase. Others Texas counties on that list were Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Colin.
Maricopa County, Ariz., where both Phoenix and Mesa are located, was the overall top gainer, with 73,650 net new residents. Its growth was nearly double that of No. 2 Clark County, Nev., where Las Vegas is located.
Also of note, Comal County, Bexar's northern neighbor, ranked 2nd on the Census' list of fastest-growing counties. Its population darted up by 5.1 percent from 2016-2017, reaching 141,009.
The new numbers hint that the tough decisions the San Antonio area needs to make about affordable housing, transportation and development aren't going away any time soon.
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