TEXAS — The U.S. Census Bureau released its report on the nation’s population growth, and numerous cities in Texas top the list for fastest-growing cities.

Topping the list is Princeton, Texas. Once a modest farming town nestled in Collin County, Princeton has transformed into one of America’s most rapidly expanding cities, with a remarkable 30.6% growth rate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2024 estimates. Princeton increased its population by nearly one-third in just one year and has more than doubled it since 2020, from roughly 17,000 to 37,000.

Princeton and six other Texas cities made the 15 fastest growing cities below:

“Many population growth rates reversed or saw major changes between 2023 and 2024,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “Cities in the Northeast that had experienced population declines in 2023 are now experiencing significant population growth, on average. In fact, cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same.”

Fort Worth also passed a milestone, crossing the 1 million-population threshold between 2023 and 2024. Both Fort Worth and San Antonio made the list for the largest numeric increase between 2023 and 2024.

Five of the 15 most populous cities in the country are in Texas: Houston is ranked #4, San Antonio is ranked #7, Dallas is ranked #9, Fort Worth is ranked #11, and Austin is ranked #13.

The South experienced the highest average population growth of any region. Cities and towns in the South with populations between 5,000 and 9,999 residents experienced the highest average increase of 1.6%. Those with populations ranging from 10,000 to 49,999 also saw an average growth rate at 1.6%. In contrast, places with a population below 5,000 recorded a much lower average growth of 0.6%.