Eight of the 15 cities or towns with the largest population gains were located in the South in 2017, with three of the top five in Texas, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
“San Antonio, Texas, tops the list with the largest population gain with an increase of over 24,200 people, an average of 66 people per day between 2016 and 2017,” said Amel Toukabri, a demographer in the Population Division of the Census Bureau. “That’s a growth rate of 1.6%. This growth was enough to push San Antonio's population above the 1.5 million mark.”
Some of the other cities with the largest population gains were Phoenix, Ariz. (24,000); Dallas, Texas (18,900); Fort Worth, Texas (18,700); Los Angeles, Calif. (18,600); Seattle, Washington (17,500); and Charlotte, N.C. (15,600).
Regarding percentage change in population, 10 of the 15 fastest-growing large cities were located in the South, with seven in Texas. Between 2016 and 2017, Frisco, Texas (near Dallas), was the fastest-growing large city (population of 50,000 or more) at 8.2%, making its growth rate more than 11 times faster than the nation’s growth rate of 0.7%.
Fort Worth, Texas, surpassed Indianapolis, Ind., becoming the 15th largest city in the United States with a population of 874,168. Indianapolis has a population of 863,002. The 14 largest U.S.cities have not changed since 2016.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
While the main focus of this release has been on the 3.9% of cities with populations of 50,000 or more, the United States is a nation of small towns. Of the nation’s 325.7 million people, an estimated 205.0 million (62.9%) live within an incorporated place as of July 1, 2017. Of approximately 19,500 incorporated places, about 76% had fewer than 5,000 people and nearly 50% had fewer than 1,000 people.
Regional Growth
The West had the highest share of its population living within an incorporated place (76.7%), followed by the Midwest (71.4%) as of July 1, 2017. The Northeast had the smallest population of its residents living in incorporated places (51.4%).
The South had the most city dwellers of any region at 67.9 million. However, this accounted for only 54.9% of the South’s 123.7 million total population. Since the 2010 Census, large cities in the South and West have led the nation in population growth, with an average increase of 10.0% (16,206) and 7.8% (12,256), respectively. By comparison, those in the Northeast and Midwest grew on average by 2.2% (9,104) and 3.0% (3,942), respectively.
The nation’s housing stock grew by more than one million last year, reaching over 137 million units. The growth rate of 0.8% from 2016 to 2017 was slower than the 1.4% a decade ago between 2006 and 2007.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Housing unit growth last year remained below 2007 levels in nearly all states except North Dakota (up 1.0% last year, compared to a 0.9% increase in 2007); the District of Columbia (up 1.1%, compared to a 0.9% increase in 2007); South Dakota (up 1.4%, compared to a 1.2% increase in 2007); Iowa (up 0.9%, compared to a 0.7% increase in 2007); and Nebraska (returned to the 2007 growth rate of 0.8%).
Between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, Utah was the fastest-growing state in terms of housing units, with an increase of 2.1%. Idaho and Colorado were the second- and third-fastest growing states with increases of 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively. West Virginia and Rhode Island were tied as the slowest-growing states with increases of 0.2%.
The nation’s housing stock increased by 5.7 million units (4.3%) since April 1, 2010. North Dakota was the fastest-growing state in terms of housing units, with an increase of 18.0% during the same period. Rounding out the top five states in percent gain were Utah (10.7%), Texas (9.6%), Idaho (8.1%) and South Dakota (8.0%).
Fourteen states added more than 100,000 housing units between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017. In terms of the largest numeric increase, the top five were Texas (955,000), California (497,000), Florida (452,000), North Carolina (295,000) and New York (219,000).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Related Stories
Contractors | Apr 19, 2023
Rising labor, material prices cost subcontractors $97 billion in unplanned expenses
Subcontractors continue to bear the brunt of rising input costs for materials and labor, according to a survey of nearly 900 commercial construction professionals.
Data Centers | Apr 14, 2023
JLL's data center outlook: Cloud computing, AI driving exponential growth for data center industry
According to JLL’s new Global Data Center Outlook, the mass adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is driving exponential growth for the data center industry, with hyperscale and edge computing leading investor demand.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 13, 2023
Healthcare construction costs for 2023
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a three-story hospital across 10 U.S. cities.
Higher Education | Apr 13, 2023
Higher education construction costs for 2023
Fresh data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a two-story college classroom building across 10 U.S. cities.
Market Data | Apr 13, 2023
Construction input prices down year-over-year for first time since August 2020
Construction input prices increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 0.4% for the month.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
Contractors | Apr 11, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has 8.7 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of March 2023
Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 8.7 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is 0.4 months higher than in March 2022.
Market Data | Apr 6, 2023
JLL’s 2023 Construction Outlook foresees growth tempered by cost increases
The easing of supply chain snags for some product categories, and the dispensing with global COVID measures, have returned the North American construction sector to a sense of normal. However, that return is proving to be complicated, with the construction industry remaining exceptionally busy at a time when labor and materials cost inflation continues to put pricing pressure on projects, leading to caution in anticipation of a possible downturn. That’s the prognosis of JLL’s just-released 2023 U.S. and Canada Construction Outlook.
Market Data | Apr 4, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending up 0.4% in February 2023
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $982.2 billion for the month, up 16.8% from the previous year.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Average size of new apartments dropped sharply in 2022
The average size of new apartments in 2022 dropped sharply in 2022, as tracked by RentCafe. Across the U.S., the average new apartment size was 887 sf, down 30 sf from 2021, which was the largest year-over-year decrease.
