Dallas-Fort Worth Leads the Nation in Population Growth
Collin County had the second largest population growth of any U.S. county in 2021, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: Texas dominated in population growth at the county and metropolitan levels.
The state had five counties in the top 10 in terms of raw population growth and four of the top 10 growing metro areas, including Dallas.
Details: The census data tracked domestic migration and overall population growth.
Dallas-Fort Worth ranked top in the country for overall population growth in a metro area with 97,290 people added between July 2020 and July 2021.
Zoom in: Collin County ranked third in domestic migration between 2020 and 2021, falling behind Maricopa County in Arizona and Riverside County in California.
Denton County ranked sixth nationwide in overall population growth last year. Fort Bend, Williamson and Montgomery counties rounded out the Texas counties that cracked the top 10.
What they’re saying: U.S. micro areas grew slightly faster than major metro areas. "This is a departure from past trends when metro areas typically grew at a faster rate than micro areas," the report said.
The intrigue: Los Angeles and New York counties both lost more than 100,000 people from domestic migration, suggesting people are moving away from coastal city centers.
The Chicago metro area lost almost as many people as the Dallas area added.
What's next: North Texas is expected to overtake the Chicago area to become the third most populous metropolitan area by the 2030s.
