Fewer people are moving to Texas cities amid the country’s broader immigration slowdown, but the state remains home to some of the fastest-growing cities in the country, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released on Thursday.
Celina, a city located about an hour north of downtown Dallas, was identified as the fastest-growing city in the country last year, experiencing a remarkable growth rate of 24.6%. This surge resulted in the addition of over 12,710 new residents from July 2024 to July 2025.
Interestingly, eight out of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are situated in Texas, primarily within the suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, which is the state’s largest urban area. In contrast, some of Texas’s major cities, including Houston, San Antonio, and Fort Worth, continue to add tens of thousands of residents, despite a noticeable slowdown in international migration and declining birth rates.
However, not all areas in Texas are experiencing growth. Among the state’s 15 largest cities, six have reported a loss in population: Dallas, El Paso, Arlington, Plano, Irving, and Garland.
Despite the challenges, Texas remains a high-growth state with a robust economy. Experts attribute the recent slowdown in growth, particularly in border communities like El Paso, to the immigration policies of the Trump administration, which have significantly impacted international migration. State demographer Lloyd Potter noted that El Paso County saw a marked decrease in population as thousands relocated elsewhere.
Several other factors contribute to this demographic shift. Birth rates in Texas have declined, and the rising number of deaths also weighs heavily on population growth. Economic uncertainty has made residents less inclined to move, and when they do, many seek more affordable areas with better job opportunities, as pointed out by Potter.
“Texas is still growing more than any other state,” Potter reassured. “I don’t really think that we’re going to all of a sudden make a turnaround and Texas is going to start losing population or that growth is going to slow really dramatically.”
Celina is emblematic of the booming outer-ring suburbs around Dallas, having more than doubled its population over the past five years. Since 2020, Celina has nearly quadrupled in size, adding over 46,000 residents, and ranks fourth in the U.S. among cities with populations over 20,000 for raw growth.
Mayor Ryan Tubbs, who relocated to Celina from Allen in 2017 with his wife, sought a quieter, family-friendly neighborhood with good schools. He has witnessed a similar trend as more families gravitate towards Celina for its perceived public safety and proximity to major job centers in Frisco and McKinney. The current average home value in Celina exceeds $500,000, though it remains more affordable compared to neighboring cities.
“It attracts a lot of like-minded young families that want to be in new communities,” Tubbs expressed.
However, Tubbs envisions more for Celina than just being a suburban enclave; he aims for the city to compete for major employers in the Dallas suburb landscape.
Celina isn’t an outlier. Among the 15 fastest-growing cities last year, six were found in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, including Princeton, Melissa, Anna, Forney, and Greenville. Additionally, Fulshear and Hutto, located approximately 45 minutes from downtown Houston and Austin, respectively, also ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
While the suburbs flourish, core cities face challenges. Dallas, although it remains the nation’s ninth largest city and Texas’s third largest, experienced a population decline of over 1,800 residents in 2025 after a period of growth. Other major cities in the region, such as Irving, Garland, Carrollton, and Arlington, also reported losses exceeding 1,000 residents.
The suburban boom is partially attributed to more affordable housing options compared to urban centers, alongside better access to newer schools, parks, and modern commercial areas. Public safety perceptions also enhance the appeal of suburban living, as noted by Cullum Clark, director of the George W. Bush Institute’s Economic Growth Initiative at Southern Methodist University. He pointed out that many established cities like Dallas, Arlington, and Plano aren’t developing new homes or redeveloping existing spaces quickly enough.
“The newness is the attraction,” Clark said.
Despite these challenges, the urban core isn’t without hope. Fort Worth surpassed 1 million residents in 2024 and became the nation’s 10th largest city in 2025, surpassing Jacksonville, Florida. It also saw the highest numeric population increase in Texas, adding 19,512 residents, and ranked second in the U.S. behind Charlotte, North Carolina.
San Antonio contributed to the growth as well, adding the third-highest numeric growth in the country with 14,359 new residents. Houston and Fulshear each welcomed about 11,000 new residents, while McKinney added around 8,500. Meanwhile, Austin crossed the 1 million resident mark, overtaking San Jose, California.
In total, 65 cities in Texas added at least 1,000 residents between 2024 and 2025, most of which are located within the Texas Triangle—a term that refers to the area encompassing the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin regions.
