POPULATION REPORT
Not-so Little Elm was the 5th fastest-growing city in U.S. last year
Little Elm outside of Dallas is the fifth-fastest growing city in the nation.
Six out of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the United States are in Texas, and one Dallas suburb zoomed up to the top five: Little Elm.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest findings, Little Elm was the fifth fastest-growing "large" U.S. city last year - large defined as a population of 50,000 or more. Little Elm had an 8 percent population increase from July 2021 to July 2022, bringing the city's total population to more than 55,300 residents.
Located less than 35 miles north of Dallas, Little Elm - some might say - has stayed under the radar compared to flashier neighbors like Frisco and Plano, which constantly make headlines for growth, activity, and development.
But the Town of Little Elm website details its many charms - namely that it's in a picturesque setting on the shores of Lake Lewisville.
"This scenic setting serves as a beautiful, natural backdrop and is also the basis of our desire to create a community where our residents can not only live but play, too," says the website. "As one of the fastest-growing cities in North Texas, we work to balance our growth with hometown charm to give both residents and visitors alike an exceptional experience."
The north Austin suburb of Georgetown had the highest growth rate in the nation, at 14.4 percent, bringing the city's total population to more than 86,500 residents. Surrounding Austin suburbs Kyle and Leander landed in No. 3 and No. 4 with the same population growth rate of 10.9 percent.
The top 10 fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. are:
- No. 1 – Georgetown, Texas
- No. 2 – Santa Cruz, California
- No. 3 – Kyle, Texas
- No. 4 – Leander, Texas
- No. 5 – Little Elm, Texas
- No. 6 – Westfield, Indiana
- No. 7 – Queen Creek, Arizona
- No. 8 – North Port, Florida
- No. 9 – Cape Coral, Florida
- No. 10 – Port St. Lucie, Florida
In a separate U.S. Census report of the 15 U.S. cities with the largest numeric population increases (as opposed to proportional growth), Fort Worth landed on top, adding 19,170 new residents last year and bringing its total to just over 956,700, the bureau says.
Additionally, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranked No. 4 in the list of the 10 most populous U.S. metro areas (as opposed to the cities, themselves). Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land ranked No. 5.
In an overall analysis of the 15 largest American cities in 2022, Dallas ranked No. 9, with a population of just under 1.3 million people. Austin came in just behind at No. 10. Fort Worth ranked No. 13.
Two Texas cities ranked higher than Dallas, with Houston earning No. 4 with its population of over 2.3 million and San Antonio at No. 7 with over 1.47 million residents.
The top 10 most populous American cities are:
- No. 1 – New York City, New York
- No. 2 – Los Angeles, California
- No. 3 – Chicago, Illinois
- No. 4 – Houston, Texas
- No. 5 – Phoenix, Arizona
- No. 6 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- No. 7 – San Antonio, Texas
- No. 8 – San Diego, California
- No. 9 – Dallas, Texas
- No. 10 – Austin, Texas
The report also discovered that housing inventory skyrocketed by 1.6 million units between 2021 and 2022. Texas had the third fastest housing growth with a rate of 2.3 percent, versus Utah, which had the fastest growth at 3.3 percent. Two Texas counties had the highest numeric gains for housing units in the nation: Harris (No. 1) and Travis (No. 3).
The full report can be found on census.gov.
A rendering of Almanac restaurant at Haggard Farm. Rendering courtesy of Haggard Farm