Cities That Grew the Most Over the Past Decade

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Porch.

With less natural population growth and decreased immigration, the population of the United States has been growing more slowly every year since 2015, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In fact, the 0.35% growth rate between 2019 and 2020 represents the lowest growth rate in more than a century.

America is now an aging nation, as the age brackets for residents age 55 and older are expanding at a pace that far exceeds the younger brackets. Over the past decade, the population of retirement-age residents (65 to 74 years old) soared 48.9% according to census figures, while those 75 or older grew 24.1%, and those 55 to 64 increased 15.3%.

In comparison, the total U.S. population increased by just 6.5% over the same time period, with certain age cohorts experiencing a population decline.

Such dramatic demographic shifts have reshaped the makeup of entire regions, states, and cities as the eldest generation increasingly moves from traditional job havens across the Rust Belt and Northeast to more retirement-friendly locales in the West, Southwest, and Southeast.

To see how these trends have affected specific cities across the country, researchers at Porch looked at three classes of city sizes and calculated the difference between their 2010 and 2020 populations as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. For the purposes of this analysis, only cities with at least 100,000 residents in 2020 were included.

Here are the large cities (350,000 residents or more) with the most population growth over the past decade.

15. Colorado Springs, CO

• 10-year percentage change in population: 14.60%
• 10-year total population change: 61,405
• Population 2020: 482,131
• Population 2010: 420,726

14. Raleigh, NC

• 10-year percentage change in population: 16.73%
• 10-year total population change: 68,002
• Population 2020: 474,414
• Population 2010: 406,412

13. San Antonio, TX

• 10-year percentage change in population: 17.57%
• 10-year total population change: 234,152
• Population 2020: 1,567,118
• Population 2010: 1,332,966

12. Miami, FL

• 10-year percentage change in population: 17.65%
• 10-year total population change: 70,727
• Population 2020: 471,525
• Population 2010: 400,798

11. Washington, D.C.

• 10-year percentage change in population: 17.77%
• 10-year total population change: 107,534
• Population 2020: 712,816
• Population 2010: 605,282

10. Phoenix, AZ

• 10-year percentage change in population: 17.88%
• 10-year total population change: 259,129
• Population 2020: 1,708,127
• Population 2010: 1,448,998

9. Aurora, CO

• 10-year percentage change in population: 18.14%
• 10-year total population change: 59,493
• Population 2020: 387,377
• Population 2010: 327,884

8. Atlanta, GA

• 10-year percentage change in population: 19.36%
• 10-year total population change: 83,136
• Population 2020: 512,550
• Population 2010: 429,414

7. Mesa, AZ

• 10-year percentage change in population: 19.81%
• 10-year total population change: 87,326
• Population 2020: 528,159
• Population 2010: 440,833

6. Tampa, FL

• 10-year percentage change in population: 20.89%
• 10-year total population change: 70,443
• Population 2020: 407,599
• Population 2010: 337,156

5. Charlotte, NC

• 10-year percentage change in population: 21.92%
• 10-year total population change: 161,904
• Population 2020: 900,350
• Population 2010: 738,446

4. Denver, CO

• 10-year percentage change in population: 21.98%
• 10-year total population change: 132,526
• Population 2020: 735,538
• Population 2010: 603,012

3. Austin, TX

• 10-year percentage change in population: 23.48%
• 10-year total population change: 189,270
• Population 2020: 995,484
• Population 2010: 806,214

2. Fort Worth, TX

• 10-year percentage change in population: 23.96%
• 10-year total population change: 179,301
• Population 2020: 927,720
• Population 2010: 748,419

1. Seattle, WA

• 10-year percentage change in population: 26.05%
• 10-year total population change: 159,060
• Population 2020: 769,714
• Population 2010: 610,654

Methodology

Population and housing data is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Population Estimates Program. To identify which cities grew the most over the past decade, researchers calculated the percentage change in population between 2010 and 2020. All cities present in the 2020 Census with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis.