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Phoenix and San Antonio Lead Largest Cities in Growth;
Small Cities Grow Fastest, Census Bureau Reports
Phoenix, Ariz., and San Antonio, Texas, were the nation's
fastest-growing cities with populations of 1 million or more in the first
eight years of the 1990s, according to the Commerce Department's Census
Bureau. During the same period, smaller cities with populations between
10,000 and 50,000 grew at a faster rate than their larger counterparts,
according to population estimates released on the Internet today.
Among cities of at least 1 million, Phoenix had the fastest rate of
increase, at 21.3 percent, while San Antonio was second, with a growth
rate of 14.1 percent.
In 1998, Phoenix became the nation's seventh most populous city,
climbing from ninth in 1990, and San Antonio rose from 10th to eighth
place. New York remained the most populous city in the nation, with 7.4
million people, followed by Los Angeles, with 3.6 million.
Five Fastest-Growing U.S. Cities with Populations of 1 Million
or More in 1998, Ranked by Growth Rate
Rank City 1998 population 1990 population Change: 1990 to 1998
Number Percent
1 Phoenix, Ariz. 1,198,064 988,015 210,049 21.3
2 San Antonio, Texas 1,114,130 976,514 137,616 14.1
3 San Diego, Calif. 1,220,666 1,110,623 110,043 9.9
4 Houston, Texas 1,786,691 1,654,348 132,343 8.0
5 Dallas, Texas 1,075,894 1,007,618 68,276 6.8
"While most large cities have held their own or gained people over the
past decade, it is the smaller cities that have experienced the fastest
growth," said Census Bureau geographer Paul Mackun.
The population of all U.S. cities containing at least 10,000 persons
grew 6.6 percent between 1990 and 1998. Overall, the nation's nine cities
with populations of more than 1 million in 1998 grew by 3.5 percent.
Cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 grew faster (8.6
percent) than any other category. Mesquite, Nev., and Frisco, Texas, were
the two fastest-growing cities in this category.
Population Change in U. S. Cities with 1998 Populations of 10,000 or More, by Size Category
Population size category Percent change:
(based on 1998 population) 1990-98 Number of cities
1,000,000 or more 3.5 9
500,000 - 999,999 2.0 17
250,000 - 499,999 4.8 41
100,000 - 249,999 7.8 151
50,000 - 99,999 8.2 354
10,000 - 49,999 8.6 2,006
All cities with populations
of 10,000 or more 6.6 2,578
Five Fastest Growing U.S. Cities with Populations Between
10,000 and 50,000 in 1998, Ranked by Growth Rate
Rank City 1998 population 1990 Population Change: 1990 to 1998
Number Percent
1 Mesquite, Nev. 10,125 1,871 8,254 441.2
2 Frisco, Texas 26,304 6,138 20,166 328.5
3 Fishers, Ind. 25,591 7,189 18,402 256.0
4 Cedar Park, Texas 18,371 5,161 13,210 256.0
5 Lake in the Hills, Ill. 20,417 5,882 14,535 247.1
Overall, a total of 892 cities experienced double-digit growth rates
during the eight-year period and 691 of these, or 77.5 percent, had 1998
populations between 10,000 and 50,000, while another 128 had between
50,000 and 100,000 people.
Among the 2,578 cities with 10,000 or more people in 1998, 1,854 or
71.9 percent, gained population while the remaining 724 lost population
between 1990 and 1998.
-X-
The U.S. Census Bureau, pre-eminent collector and disseminator of timely,
relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United
States, conducts a population and housing census every 10 years, an
economic census every five years and more than 100 demographic and
economic surveys every year, all of them evolving from the first census in
1790.
U.S. Cities with Populations of 500,000 or More in 1998, Ranked by 1998 Population
Rank City 1998 Population Change: 1990 to 1998
Number Percent
1 New York, N.Y. 7,420,166 97,602 1.3
2 Los Angeles, Calif. 3,597,556 111,999 3.2
3 Chicago, Ill. 2,802,079 18,353 0.7
4 Houston, Texas 1,786,691 132,343 8.0
5 Philadelphia, Pa. 1,436,287 -149,290 -9.4
6 San Diego, Calif. 1,220,666 110,043 9.9
7 Phoenix, Ariz. 1,198,064 210,049 21.3
8 San Antonio, Texas 1,114,130 137,616 14.1
9 Dallas, Texas 1,075,894 68,276 6.8
10 Detroit, Mich. 970,196 -57,778 -5.6
11 San Jose, Calif. 861,284 79,060 10.1
12 San Francisco, Calif. 745,774 21,815 3.0
13 Indianapolis, Ind. 741,304 10,026 1.4
14 Jacksonville, Fla. 693,630 58,400 9.2
15 Columbus, Ohio 670,234 37,289 5.9
16 Baltimore, Md. 645,593 -90,421 -12.3
17 El Paso, Texas 615,032 99,690 19.3
18 Memphis, Tenn. 603,507 -15,145 -2.4
19 Milwaukee, Wis. 578,364 -49,724 -7.9
20 Boston, Mass. 555,447 -18,836 -3.3
21 Austin, Texas 552,435 80,415 17.0
22 Seattle, Wash. 536,978 20,719 4.0
23 Washington, D.C. 523,124 -83,776 -13.8
24 Nashville-Davidson, Tenn.510,274 21,908 4.5
25 Charlotte, N.C. 504,637 85,079 20.3
26 Portland, Ore. 503,891 17,916 3.7
Source: Population Estimates Program, US Census Bureau
