The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

1 minute read

April 23, 2025, 8:32 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


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An analysis from GoodMigrations reveals which U.S. cities have changed the most in the last five years. The criteria include “population, income, jobs, home values, and new jobs created from new businesses over the past five years.”

The top five most changed cities are Boise City, Idaho; Provo, Utah; Lakeland, Florida; Austin, Texas; and Huntsville, Alabama. According to the article, “All the most-changed cities saw change in the form of rapid growth: increasing economic activity, elevating salaries, and gaining newcomers.” Austin had the highest population increase among cities with the strongest GDP, and added 25 percent more employed persons.

Eight of the top 10 cities were in the U.S. South. Four of the 10 least changed cities, meanwhile, are in Louisiana. “This seeming contradiction suggests that growth and prosperity in the South are not equally distributed, with some metros reaping the lion’s share of jobs, newcomers, and overall prosperity, leaving other cities in the region to stagnate at disproportionately high rates.”

Friday, February 28, 2025 in GoodMigrations

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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