Fastest-Growing U.S. Cities: 2025–2026 Population Trends and Rankings

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates, released May 14, 2026, reveal a striking split in American population growth between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025: midsized cities held steady while the nation’s largest cities experienced the sharpest slowdowns. Celina, Texas, led all places with at least 20,000 residents, growing 24.6 percent in a single year, and Texas dominated the list of fastest-growing communities. The data underscore how suburban and exurban areas on the edges of major metros are increasingly driving U.S. population gains.

Key Numbers

• Fastest-growing city (20,000+ residents): Celina, Texas, +24.6%
• 15th-fastest city: Greenville, Texas, +7.5%
• Largest numeric gain among major cities: Charlotte, N.C., +20,731 residents
• Texas share of top 14 fastest-growing places: 11 of 14
• National trend: Largest cities faced sharpest declines in growth
• Data period: July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025
• Release date: May 14, 2026

Explanation

The Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates provide the most recent official snapshot of city and town populations. The one-year change compares the July 1, 2024 estimate with the July 1, 2025 estimate from the same vintage. Percentage growth is the standard way to rank fastest-growing places because it shows how quickly a community is expanding relative to its size, while numeric growth shows the absolute number of new residents.

Between 2024 and 2025, the national picture was one of widespread slowdown, but the slowdown was not evenly distributed. Midsized cities remained close to the previous year’s patterns, while the largest cities saw the steepest drop-offs in average growth. Even where large cities maintained strong numeric gains, they were often outpaced on a percentage basis by smaller cities in the outer portions of the same metro area.

Texas stands out as the epicenter of fast growth. The state’s combination of available land, rapid housing construction, and strong in-migration has produced a cluster of high-growth suburban and exurban cities, particularly around Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. Celina, Texas, is the clearest example, adding residents at a rate of nearly one-quarter in a single year.

Definition

In this context, a “fastest-growing city” is an incorporated place or town whose estimated resident population increased by the largest percentage over a one-year period. The Census Bureau’s official fastest-growing table covers places with at least 20,000 residents in the July 1, 2024 estimate, which avoids extremely small places where tiny numeric changes can produce outsized percentages.

Ranking Table

The table below shows the top 10 fastest-growing U.S. cities according to World Population Review’s 2026 ranking, which uses annualized growth from the 2020 Census to the 2026 estimate. This multi-year view smooths year-to-year volatility and highlights sustained growth leaders.

Note: Annualized growth is the compound annual growth rate from the 2020 Census to the 2026 estimate, not the one-year 2024–2025 change.

State Comparison

Texas is the overwhelming leader in fast-growing cities. Of the 14 fastest-growing places in the World Population Review 2026 ranking, 11 are in Texas. North Carolina, Idaho, and Florida each contribute one. The official Census one-year table also points to Texas dominance, with Greenville, Texas, appearing as the 15th-fastest city.

Year-over-Year Change

The official one-year comparison from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, shows Celina, Texas, as the fastest-growing city among places with at least 20,000 residents, at +24.6%. The 15th entry in the Census Bureau’s official table, Greenville, Texas, grew +7.5%, indicating a steep drop-off within the top 15. By contrast, many of the nation’s largest cities saw growth rates fall sharply, even when they continued to add large numbers of people.

Drop-offs in average growth were steeper among the largest cities.

National Comparison

Nationally, population growth slowed between 2024 and 2025. Midsized cities remained close to the previous year’s patterns, while the largest cities faced the sharpest declines in growth. Even where large cities maintained strong growth, they were often outpaced by smaller cities in the outer portions of the same metro area. Charlotte, North Carolina — the nation’s 14th largest city — gained 20,731 residents, but its outer suburbs grew faster on a percentage basis.

Factors Behind the Trend

• Suburban and exurban expansion: Smaller cities on the edges of major metros offer more housing capacity and lower costs.
• Texas land availability and business climate: Texas cities dominate due to rapid housing construction and in-migration.
• Largest-city slowdowns: High housing costs, domestic out-migration, and post-pandemic shifts have reduced growth in core cities.
• Midsized stability: Midsized cities have maintained prior growth patterns, avoiding the sharp drops seen in the largest places.

Why It Matters

Fast-growing cities face immediate pressures on housing, schools, roads, and water systems. Planners and local governments use these estimates to allocate resources and plan infrastructure. The shift toward outer suburbs also affects regional transportation, labor markets, and political representation at the state and local level.

Methodology

The U.S. Census Bureau produces annual population estimates for incorporated places and towns using a cohort-component method that accounts for births, deaths, and net migration, along with housing unit changes. The Vintage 2025 estimates have a reference date of July 1, 2025, and are compared with the July 1, 2024 estimates from the same vintage. The official fastest-growing table includes places with at least 20,000 residents in the 2024 estimate.

Limitations of the Data

• Estimates are not decennial counts and are subject to revision.
• Percentage growth can be misleading for small places; the 20,000-resident threshold mitigates but does not eliminate this.
• The one-year period may reflect short-term fluctuations rather than long-term trends.
• Annualized multi-year growth rates, such as 2020–2026, smooth year-to-year volatility but may hide recent slowdowns.

Historical Data

Between the 2020 Census and the 2026 estimates, Fulshear, Texas, grew from 17,185 to 73,692 residents, an annualized rate of 27.46%. Celina, Texas, grew from 18,033 to 72,848, an annualized 26.2%. These explosive multi-year gains reflect sustained suburban and exurban development in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston regions. The one-year 2024–2025 data show that this momentum continued, though the national picture is more mixed.

Source & Data Date

Primary source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates, released May 14, 2026. Data compare July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025. Supplementary rankings: World Population Review, “Fastest Growing US Cities 2026,” and StatRanker, “US Cities by Population Growth 2026.” Additional context: Every City in the USA, “2025 U.S. City Growth Atlas.”