Celina, Texas, Leads Nation as Fastest-Growing City with 24.6% Surge

Celina, Texas, recorded the fastest population growth in the nation among cities with 20,000 or more residents, surging 24.6%, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, including Celina, Princeton, Melissa and Anna, saw population gains.

All five fastest-growing cities nationwide were in Texas: four in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington suburbs and one outside Houston. Fulshear ranked second on the list.

"Families are drawn to Celina for our outstanding schools, safe neighborhoods, and dynamic community life, while businesses recognize the strategic advantages of our location, robust infrastructure, and supportive environment," Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs told WFAA, the local Dallas news affiliate. Tubbs did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

The South led national growth trends. "The South dominates the lists of the nation’s fastest-growing and highest-gaining cities. The region claims 10 of the nation’s 15 fastest-growing cities as well as 11 of the 12 largest numeric gains," the Census Bureau reported.

North Carolina had the highest net domestic migration of any state in 2023. South Carolina emerged as the fastest-growing state by percentage, with a 1.7% increase between July 2022 and July 2023, driven by a net influx of more than 82,000 domestic migrants.

Growth in these areas contrasted with struggles in traditionally blue states. Major cities including Boston, New York and Chicago showed consistent net migration declines. Los Angeles County lost more than 56,000 residents between 2022 and 2023, dropping from about 10 million in 2020 to 9.7 million. New York City lost more residents than it gained last year, a Citizens’ Budget Commission study found.

"The nation’s largest counties ... are often international migration hubs," Census Bureau demographer George M. Hayward said. "With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss."