Gallery: 10 American cities that have seen substantial population growth in the last five years

The pandemic’s onset triggered an unprecedented shift in domestic migration trends, with many Americans trading in the conveniences of urban centers for more space in rural and suburban neighborhoods. It’s a trend that’s driving population change in some communities, based on the findings of a recent analysis from the financial technology company SmartAsset. 

“The population in Atascocita, Tx.  has grown by 25.4% in just one year,” reads a brief about the findings, which include data from 2017 to 2022. “Similarly, Lewisville, Tx. had the second-highest one-year growth at 16 percent, and San Tan Valley, Ariz. saw 13 percent growth in one year. Similar trends are observed in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where one-year population growth was 9.9 percent compared to just 0.3 percent growth over five years.”

In general, southwestern communities dominated the ranking. Buckeye, Ariz., for example, tops the list, having gained 54 percent in population over the last five years. Enterprise, Nev. (37.8 percent); Goodyear, AZ (32 percent); Atascocita, Tx. (27.5 percent); San Tan Valley, Ariz. (26.5 percent); Frisco, Tx. (23.9 percent); Sugar Land, Tx. (23.6 percent) and Lewisville, Tx. (22.8 percent) followin in the top 10, “with many more southwestern cities seeing large population growth in a short time,” the brief says.

For the study, SmartAsset tallied the most recent U.S. population data across 344 cities with a population of at least 100,000 people to rank cities by growth between 2017 to 2022, including shifts between the balance of men and women. 

The 10 American cities that have gained the most population recently can be found in the gallery above. Visit SmartAsset’s website for more information and to view the complete list of cities.