New Census Data Shows Growth Of Texas Suburbs Is Outpacing Urban Areas

The relatively low cost of land in suburban areas, and a generally healthy economy are attracting urban Texans and migrants form elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world.

By Michael MarksMarch 23, 2017 4:48 pm

It’s no surprise that the Texas population continue to grow. The state’s major cities are all getting bigger, but it’s the areas surrounding the urban core – the suburbs – where growth rates are highest.

State Demographer Dr. Lloyd Potter says suburban growth in Texas is significantly higher than it is in other parts of the country, and that this population increase comes at the expense of urban areas in the state.

“This year is the first year in some time that Harris County was not the most significant growing county in the country,” Potter says. ”Part of that is related to Harris County, for the first time in a few years, having net out domestic migration, meaning that people are moving out of Harris County. However, that’s being offset by international migration. The Houston area is certainly becoming more cosmopolitan.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– What migration trends affect growth of the Texas population

– How Texas migration patterns are different than other parts of the country

– What the 2020 census will mean for Texas’ representation in Congress