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
Market Data | Jul 20, 2019
Construction costs continued to rise in second quarter
Labor availability is a big factor in that inflation, according to Rider Levett Bucknall report.
Market Data | Jul 18, 2019
Construction contractors remain confident as summer begins
Contractors were slightly less upbeat regarding profit margins and staffing levels compared to April.
Market Data | Jul 17, 2019
Design services demand stalled in June
Project inquiry gains hit a 10-year low.
Market Data | Jul 16, 2019
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator increases modestly in May
The Construction Backlog Indicator expanded to 8.9 months in May 2019.
K-12 Schools | Jul 15, 2019
Summer assignments: 2019 K-12 school construction costs
Using RSMeans data from Gordian, here are the most recent costs per square foot for K-12 school buildings in 10 cities across the U.S.
Market Data | Jul 12, 2019
Construction input prices plummet in June
This is the first time in nearly three years that input prices have fallen on a year-over-year basis.
Market Data | Jul 1, 2019
Nonresidential construction spending slips modestly in May
Among the 16 nonresidential construction spending categories tracked by the Census Bureau, five experienced increases in monthly spending.
Market Data | Jul 1, 2019
Almost 60% of the U.S. construction project pipeline value is concentrated in 10 major states
With a total of 1,302 projects worth $524.6 billion, California has both the largest number and value of projects in the U.S. construction project pipeline.
Market Data | Jun 21, 2019
Architecture billings remain flat
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for May showed a small increase in design services at 50.2.
Market Data | Jun 19, 2019
Number of U.S. architects continues to rise
New data from NCARB reveals that the number of architects continues to increase.
