New Census Data Highlight Continued Growth of Urban Areas

Mike Maciag details the updated population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau earlier this week. The data provides support for the continuing trend of growth in cities around the country (i.e., not just Texas).

"In all, cities with populations exceeding 100,000 collectively added an estimated 857,000 residents between July 2012 and July 2013, accounting for an increase of about 1 percent. By comparison, all other areas of the country recorded population growth of only 0.6 percent over the same time period," writes Maciag. The article also includes a link to a map with a data overlay of the population growth (or loss) in cities and towns all over the map.

As for the city that grew the fastest, that distinction goes to Frisco, Texas, which "posted population gains of 6.5 percent over the short 12-month period, topping all other larger cities."

But for the country's largest cities, look to the pacific Northwest for the fastest rate of growth: "Of the nation’s largest cities, nowhere has population growth accelerated quite like Seattle. The city has seen annual population gains increase each of the past few years, climbing by 2.8 percent last year -- the highest rate of any city with at least a half million residents."

Gene Balk also provides analysis of Seattle's precipitous rise, which outpaced growth in its suburbs for the second consecutive year.