Several large U.S. cities that saw sudden drops in population numbers during 2021 appeared to regain these losses in 2022, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Population data for 2022 was published on May 18 by the U.S. Census Bureau, showing some surprising reversals of the flight from urban areas seen during the COVID-19 era.
Spurred by fear of the virus and the possibility of remote work, more than half of the 20 largest U.S. metro areas witnessed a decline in residents in 2021, with all metro areas collectively growing by just 0.1%.
The cities experiencing the greatest losses were New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
As The Dallas Express reported, many of those who moved headed toward cities in the Lone Star State, which had already seen an influx of about 50,000 Californians between 2018 and 2019. Texas gained roughly 884,000 new people between April 2020 and July 2022.
Among all U.S. metro areas, Dallas-Fort Worth saw the highest population increase between 2021 and 2022, with 170,396 new people added, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Fort Worth topped the list in terms of numeric population gain in 2022, seeing an increase of 19,170 residents. Houston and San Antonio also jumped in population, with 11,223 and 18,889 newcomers, respectively.
But it was the City of Georgetown that saw the greatest population increase by percent change, logging 14.4%.
Kyle, Leander, Little Elm, Conroe, and New Braunfels also represented the Lone Star State in the top 15 fastest-growing large cities of the nation.
Overall, the South had a strong showing in terms of growth in 2022, with nine of the nation’s 15 fastest-growing cities coming from the region.
Other Southern cities seeing upticks were Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Cape Coral, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition, while rental competition in Dallas rose 26% year over year in March, it still fell short of the national average due to a revival of rental markets in the Northeast in particular.
Notably, Washington D.C., Seattle, Minneapolis, and San Diego, which all suffered heavy population losses in 2021, saw gains in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Slowdowns in population decline were recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Interestingly, some cities that had attracted residents during the COVID-19 era reported population declines in 2022, such as Boise, Idaho, and Provo, Utah.