Metro areas in the Lone Star State top the list
Houston and Dallas added more people than any other U.S. city last year—close to 300,000 residents combined—while two other Texas cities, Austin and San Antonio, were in the top 15 in population gains nationwide, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau Wednesday.
Those four Texas metro areas alone added 412,000 people last year, more than any other state besides Texas itself, which grew by 490,000. Atlanta, Phoenix and New York City rounded out the top 5 in population increases, each adding close to 100,000 residents.
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A majority of metro areas with populations above 50,000 and almost half of smaller cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 grew in 2015, continuing the country’s shift away from rural areas and toward cities.
Much of that growth is happening in the south and out west. Only two East Coast cities–New York and Washington, D.C.—made the top 20 in population gains. The nation’s capital became the sixth largest metropolitan area in the U.S., passing Philadelphia.
The top 5 most populous cities—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Houston—remained unchanged.