Texas has four of the fastest-growing cities in the country, according to current Census reports.
Among cities with more than 100,000 residents, four of the top 10 that experienced the greatest percentage increase in population were in Texas: Frisco, McKinney, Round Rock and Lewisville.
The population growth was tabulated from July 1, 2008, to July 1, 2009.
Frisco, a wealthy suburb of Dallas, saw a 6.2 percent population spike, making it the fastest-growing big city in the U.S. New York City had the largest increase in population, going from 8.34 million to 8.39 million.
Steve Murdock, a former director of the Census Bureau and now a professor at Rice University, said Texas’ growth was likely due to the state’s ability to dodge the worst of the economic crisis, as well as its growing immigrant population.
“Diversity and growth go together, and Texas has one of the most diverse populations in the country,” Murdock noted, adding that the data is “really is just verification of growth of this decade.”
For what it’s worth, Texas’ ability to ride out the recession is a function of natural resources. Houston’s population is 2,257,926, meaning we have grown over 14% in this decade.