Austin, Texas was the fastest growing large city in the United States during the post-recession era of 2010 to 2013, according to a recent report by the Census Bureau.
The Census report examined the twenty five largest cities in the U.S., and Austin’s growth during this period — 12 percent — outpaced the rest of the country. The second place city, Charlotte, North Carolina, grew 8.4 percent.
Several other Texas cities were also ranked on the list. Fort Worth grew 7 percent, San Antonio 6.1 percent, Dallas 5 percent, Houston 4.6 percent, and El Paso 3.9 percent.
Overall growth in the entire U.S. was 2.4 percent during this same period. This specific study only examined population growth within the cities themselves, and not the surrounding metro areas and suburbs.
A report by Slate discussed some of the reasons why Austin may have experienced such a high rate of growth:
It’s not much of a mystery why Austin has fared so well. The city was only lightly affected by the recession, thanks in part to the fact that Texas was generally spared a housing bust, and its local economy is anchored by a state government, a massive university, and a tech scene. And yes, it’s fun and still at least a tiny bit weird (RIP Leslie).
Of course, growth does not come free from consequences. As Breitbart Texas reported, Austin and Houston were both on the list of U.S. cities with the highest increases in median rental rates last year.
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.
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