The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest population estimates show that smaller cities embedded in major metro areas can be America’s fastest-growing places—especially when they sit inside faster-expanding regions such as Texas—while some destinations in tight-housing markets and disaster-affected areas shed residents.
The report, released Thursday, found that small cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex led the fastest growth among U.S. municipalities with populations of at least 20,000 residents from mid-2024 to mid-2025. Celina ranked first among the fastest growers, while Princeton, Melissa and Anna ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, according to the estimates.
Census Bureau population estimates placed Fulshear, a city in the Houston metro area, second-fastest nationwide. Together, the five Texas cities’ year-over-year growth rates ranged from nearly 15% to nearly 25%, the Census estimates showed.
While Texas cities occupied the top spots, the Census Bureau figures also illustrated how net growth can favor smaller places. Celina, which had about 64,000 people, grew by 12,700 residents, a bigger net increase than Seattle and Houston—cities described in the Census-related reporting as roughly 12 times and 37 times larger, respectively.
Matt Erickson, a Census Bureau statistician, characterized the pattern as a “sweet spot” for smaller to mid-sized cities—situated between the biggest U.S. cities, which he said were more impacted by the loss of immigrants after an immigration crackdown began last year during the second Trump administration, and slower-growing small towns. The Census Bureau estimates also showed that job markets and comparatively lower costs helped drive large numeric gains in the South.
In raw numbers, Census estimates showed that nine of the 10 biggest population gainers were in the South. The biggest numeric gainers listed in the report included Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Celina.
The estimates also reflected changing rankings among the largest U.S. cities. Fort Worth rose above Jacksonville to become the 10th most populous city, while four Texas cities placed in the nation’s top 10 most populous—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth.
Austin also moved up. The estimates said Austin surpassed 1 million residents for the first time and skipped over San Jose to become the 12th most populous U.S. city, putting Austin among a dozen U.S. cities with 1 million residents or more.
Seattle stood out as a counterpoint to the dominance of the South. The Census-related reporting said Seattle was the only non-Southern city to make the top 10 for numeric population gains, ranking fifth, and described population losses in prior years as linked to pandemic-era declines.
The reporting attributed Seattle-area growth to international migration, saying international migration accounted for almost three-quarters of the area’s population gains in county-level estimates released in March. It added that the growth was driven by immigrants, particularly from China and India.
On the downside, the Census Bureau estimates also highlighted cities where population dropped most quickly over the same period. The reporting said Twentynine Palms, California—tied in the story to Joshua Tree National Park—and Key West, Florida posted the greatest rates of population loss, with declines ranging from -2.4% to -2.9%.
The reporting linked Twentynine Palms’ decline to housing stock converted into short-term rentals for tourists, saying just under 40% of its housing was owner-occupied compared with the national average of 65%, based on Census Bureau figures. For Key West, the story said limited housing supply—surrounded by water—and some of the highest home insurance rates contributed to rising housing costs, citing a median home price of $1.3 million at the start of this year.
It also pointed to natural disasters as a factor in losses elsewhere. The story said hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida’s Gulf Coast within weeks of each other in late 2024, with the remnants of Helene reaching western North Carolina and producing tornadoes and flooding, and listed cities with among the greatest rates of loss including Asheville, North Carolina, and Florida Gulf Coast communities such as Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Largo and Clearwater.
In a snapshot of how Americans move—or don’t—these Census Bureau estimates depict a year when growth clustered around the expanding economies and costs of the South, while housing constraints and storms contributed to sharper declines in particular places.