(NEXSTAR) – While the housing market cools, some Americans are still on the move. That appears to be especially true for cities in the South, nine of which ranked among the 15 fastest-growing cities last year, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Texas overwhelmingly dominated the list, taking the top six spots, according to the Census’ 2022 population estimate.
Georgetown, Texas tops the list, with a 14.4% population increase from summer 2021 to 2022. The city, located about 30 miles north of Austin, has a population of more than 86,500. It was the fastest growing city in 2021 as well.
Santa Cruz, California ranked second in the fastest growing U.S. cities at 12.5%, replacing Leander, Texas, which took second place last year.
The next three cities — Leander, Little Elm and Westfield — are all from Texas, as are Conroe at No. 11 and New Braunfels at No. 13. After Texas, Florida had the most cities in the top 15 with three. Cities in Indiana, Arizona, Utah and Massachusetts are also among the fastest growing.
According to census data, only four cities recorded double-digit growth: Georgetown; Santa Cruz; Kyle, Texas; and Leander. Two, Kyle and Little Elm, reported populations of 50,000 or more in 2021 for the first time, according to census data.
| Rank | The name of the area | State | Percentage increase |
| 1 | Georgetown | Texas | 14.4 |
| 2 | Santa Cruz | California | 12.5 |
| 3 | Kyle | Texas | 10.9 |
| 4 | Leander | Texas | 10.9 |
| 5 | Little Elm | Texas | 8.0 |
| 6 | Westfield | Indiana | 7.7 |
| 7 | Scream Queen | Arizona | 6.7 |
| 8 | Northern port | Florida | 6.6 |
| 9 | Cape Coral | Florida | 6.4 |
| 10 | Port St. Lucie | Florida | 6.4 |
| 11 | Conroe | Texas | 6.3 |
| 12 | Maricopa | Arizona | 6.2 |
| 13 | New Braunfels | Texas | 5.7 |
| 14 | Legion | Utah | 5.6 |
| 15 | city of Medford | Massachusetts | 5.2 |
Several cities that appeared on last year’s list of fastest-growing cities failed to make the list this year, including Buckeye, Casa Grande and Goodyear in Arizona; Fort Myers, Florida; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Idaho Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa.
When looking at the population of cities with a population of at least 50,000, the census found that the largest population growth was primarily seen in southern cities. Fort Worth, Texas saw the largest increase, adding more than 19,100 people between 2021 and 2022, surpassing the roughly 13,000 people the city had from 2020 to 2021.
San Antonio, Texas, which welcomed the most new residents between 2020 and 2021, dropped to No. 3 in the latest census data, adding just under 19,000 people.
Texas, again, had the most cities on the list with six, followed by Florida with three cities. These 15 cities welcomed the most new residents from the summer of 2021 to last summer:
| Rank | The name of the area | State | Numerical increase |
| 1 | Fort Worth | Texas | 19,170 |
| 2 | Phoenix | Arizona | 19,053 |
| 3 | San Antonio | Texas | 18,889 |
| 4 | Seattle | Washington | 17,749 |
| 5 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 15,217 |
| 6 | Jacksonville | Florida | 14,408 |
| 7 | Port St. Lucie | Florida | 13,887 |
| 8 | Cape Coral | Florida | 13,017 |
| 9 | Houston | Texas | 11,223 |
| 10 | Georgetown | Texas | 10,887 |
| 11 | North Las Vegas | Nevada | 9,419 |
| 12 | Henderson | Nevada | 8,994 |
| 13 | Dallas | Texas | 8,833 |
| 14 | Irwin | California | 8,589 |
| 15 | Frisco | Texas | 8,506 |
New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago continue to be the most populous cities in the United States. Charlotte, North Carolina replaced Indianapolis as the fifteenth most populous city.
Here are the 15 most populous cities:
| Rank | The name of the area | State | Total population in 2022 |
| 1 | New York | New York | 8335897 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | California | 3,822,238 |
| 3 | Chicago | Illinois | 2,665,039 |
| 4 | Houston | Texas | 2,302,878 |
| 5 | Phoenix | Arizona | 1,644,409 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1,567,258 |
| 7 | San Antonio | Texas | 1,472,909 |
| 8 | San Diego | California | 1381162 |
| 9 | Dallas | Texas | 1,299,544 |
| 10 | Austin | Texas | 974447 |
| 11 | Jacksonville | Florida | 971319 |
| 12 | San Jose | California | 971,233 |
| 13 | Fort Worth | Texas | 956,709 |
| 14 | Columbus | Ohio | 907,971 |
| 15 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 897720 |
Unlike last year, many U.S. cities are experiencing population growth again, census data show.
During the first full year of the pandemic in 2021, more than half of the 20 largest U.S. urban areas lost residents, while all U.S. urban areas grew by just 0.1%, as fear of the virus forced residents to leave the most densely populated urban areas and the popularity of remote work allowed people live far from their workplaces.
By comparison, only eight of the 20 largest metros contracted in 2022, and the growth rate for all US metros was 0.4%.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.