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Six of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the US between 2022 and 2023 are in Texas, according to recent estimates from the US Census Bureau.
Kaufman County, just east of Dallas, topped the list with a 7.6% increase that brought its population to more than 185,000, census data show. Rockwall and Liberty counties followed closely, each with growth increases of 6.5% and 5.7%, respectively.
Population increases in the southern United States were largely due to the relocation of people from other parts of the country, census officials said. On average, southern counties experienced faster growth in 2023 than in 2022.
"National migration patterns are changing, and the impact on counties is especially evident," Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Division, said in a Thursday report. statement.
Large counties experience significant population increases
Texas is also home to eight of the ten counties in the country that added the most residents between 2022 and 2023. Harris, Collin and Montgomery counties led the pack.
Harris County added 53,788 residents, more than any other county in the U.S. With nearly 5 million total residents, it is now the third most populous county in the country. Harris also had the second-largest increase in international migration of any county in the country.
Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area also made significant gains, attracting tens of thousands of new people. Denton is now the seventh county in Texas to surpass one million residents.
Notably, Dallas County does not make the census top ten list.
Growth in the state's main counties. boosted the overall population of Texas. The state grew more than any other in the country in 2023, by nearly half a million people, according to previous census estimates.
Texas cities are booming
The four most populous metropolitan areas in Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin) are among the 10 metropolitan areas with the largest population increases from 2022 to 2023.
The Dallas metropolitan area saw the largest jump. It added 152,598 residents, bringing its total population to over 8 million. The Houston metropolitan area followed closely, adding 139,789 during the same period. Its total population now exceeds 7.5 million inhabitants.
Nearly 70% of Texas residents live in the state's four largest metropolitan areas, according to estimates from the Texas Demographic Center.
But the Midland metropolitan area grew faster than any of them. From 2022 to 2023, Midland's population increased nearly 3%, making it the seventh-fastest growing metropolitan area in the country.
Midland is part of the Permian Basin, the highest producing oil field in the United States and is home to much of Texas' oil and gas production.
Tracee Bentley, executive director of the Permian Strategic Partnership, a collaboration between Permian Basin communities and oil and gas companies, said job growth in the energy sector could be driving population growth in Midland.
"The nature of the jobs you see in the oil and gas sector is attracting some of the younger professionals who want to come here," Bentley said.
Overall, more U.S. counties saw population gains than losses in 2023, but the South saw faster growth than much of the rest of the country, according to census data.
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