Fastest Growing Small Cities in America

Americans have a broad variety of choices when determining what kinds of communities they wish to settle in and live their lives. While some are drawn to the buzz of the big city, others prefer smaller cities where the pace of life is more relaxed, and communities are more tight-knit. In this report, AdvisorSmith examines the small cities in the United States whose populations are growing and shrinking the most quickly.

We examined the population growth in 474 small, American-incorporated cities, towns, and villages during the five-year period between 2014 and 2019, based upon population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. We considered cities that had populations between 50,000 and 100,000 residents, and we calculated the compounded annual growth rate in population growth during the study period.

We found that the average small city had a population growth of 0.9% per year among cities included in our analysis. The growth rates ranged from (-1.5)% up to 12.5% per year population growth. Cities in the West and South dominated the list of fastest-growing small cities while cities in the Midwest were the majority of the shrinking cities. Read on to discover the fastest growing and shrinking cities in the United States.

Fastest Growing Small Cities in the United States

1. Herriman, UT

Located in the southwest corner of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, Herriman is a fast-growing suburb of Salt Lake City. The city was only incorporated in 1999, and from 2014 through 2019, the city grew from 28,461 residents up to a population of 51,348 in 2019, which is a compounded annual growth rate of 12.5%, which made it the fastest-growing small city in the nation.

2. Leander, TX

Leander is a small city that is a suburb just west of Round Rock in the Austin metropolitan area in Texas. The city has experienced rapid growth in the past five years, with its population growing from 35,280 residents to 62,608 residents from 2014 to 2019. New residents are attracted to Leander’s quality schools and outdoor recreational activities. This annual growth rate of 12.2% makes Leander the second fastest-growing small city in the country.

3. Queen Creek, AZ

In the southeast corner of the Phoenix metropolitan area is Queen Creek, Arizona. The city, which was incorporated in 1989, features the American Heritage Festival, which celebrates American history. The city has grown from 33,011 residents in 2014 to 50,890 residents in 2019, for an annualized growth rate of 9%.

4. Little Elm, TX

A northern suburb of Dallas, Little Elm is perched on the eastern shores of Lewisville Lake. The city features numerous parks and more miles of shoreline than any other city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The population of Little Elm grew from 35,493 in 2014 up to a population of 53,126 in 2019, for an annualized growth rate of 8.4%.

5. New Braunfels, TX

Just northeast of San Antonio, New Braunfels is a rapidly growing suburb in the San Antonio metro area. The city has a long history, having been settled by Germans in the mid-1800s, and the city continues to hold a German-style sausage festival on an annual basis. In 2014, the city’s population was 65,902, and by 2019, that population had grown to 90,209 residents, for an annual growth of 6.5%, making New Braunfels the fifth fastest-growing small city in the United States.

Below is a list of the 50 fastest-growing small cities in the United States during 2014-2019. Texas led the way with 11 of the top 50 fastest growing small cities, and the rest of the list was dominated by the western states of California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Washington, with Florida also having six cities on the list. Overall, the list was evenly distributed with 24 of the top 50 being from southern states and another 24 from western states. No northeastern cities made the list of the top 50, and only two midwestern cities made the top 50. Most of the fastest-growing small cities were suburbs or exurbs of major metropolitan areas.

Rank	City	State	Population (2014)	Population (2019)	Growth Rate 2014-2019
1	Herriman	UT	28,461	51,348	12.5%
2	Leander	TX	35,280	62,608	12.2%
3	Queen Creek	AZ	33,011	50,890	9.0%
4	Little Elm	TX	35,493	53,126	8.4%
5	New Braunfels	TX	65,902	90,209	6.5%
6	Georgetown	TX	58,974	79,604	6.2%
7	Buckeye	AZ	59,100	79,620	6.1%
8	Apex	NC	44,064	59,300	6.1%
9	Bentonville	AR	42,001	54,909	5.5%
10	Ankeny	IA	53,299	67,355	4.8%
11	Castle Rock	CO	55,154	68,484	4.4%
12	Fort Myers	FL	70,449	87,103	4.3%
13	Conroe	TX	73,779	91,079	4.3%
14	South Jordan	UT	62,446	76,598	4.2%
15	Doral	FL	53,643	65,741	4.2%
16	St. Cloud	FL	44,605	54,579	4.1%
17	Lehi	UT	57,000	69,724	4.1%
18	Beaumont	CA	41,994	51,063	4.0%
19	Redmond	WA	59,416	71,929	3.9%
20	Bonita Springs	FL	49,367	59,637	3.9%
21	Goodyear	AZ	72,346	86,840	3.7%
22	Pflugerville	TX	54,714	65,380	3.6%
23	Dublin	CA	54,554	64,826	3.5%
24	Cedar Park	TX	67,161	79,462	3.4%
25	Franklin	TN	70,620	83,097	3.3%
26	Mount Pleasant	SC	77,937	91,684	3.3%
27	North Port	FL	60,323	70,724	3.2%
28	Commerce City	CO	51,468	60,336	3.2%
29	Caldwell	ID	50,122	58,481	3.1%
30	Parker	CO	49,508	57,706	3.1%
31	Lacey	WA	45,271	52,592	3.0%
32	Mansfield	TX	62,605	72,419	3.0%
33	Lake Elsinore	CA	60,111	69,283	2.9%
34	Rowlett	TX	58,471	67,339	2.9%
35	St. George	UT	77,942	89,587	2.8%
36	Greenville	SC	61,505	70,635	2.8%
37	Rocklin	CA	60,060	68,823	2.8%
38	Milpitas	CA	73,560	84,196	2.7%
39	Maricopa	AZ	45,543	52,127	2.7%
40	Wylie	TX	46,439	53,067	2.7%
41	Casa Grande	AZ	51,362	58,632	2.7%
42	Broomfield	CO	61,764	70,465	2.7%
43	Flower Mound	TX	69,525	79,135	2.6%
44	Bradenton	FL	52,253	59,439	2.6%
45	Manteca	CA	73,157	83,028	2.6%
46	Brentwood	CA	56,854	64,474	2.5%
47	West Lafayette	IN	44,975	50,996	2.5%
48	Nampa	ID	87,894	99,277	2.5%
49	Concord	NC	85,395	96,341	2.4%
50	Smyrna	TN	45,731	51,586	2.4%

Fastest Shrinking Small Cities in the United States

The table below shows the 50 small cities in the United States that are shrinking the fastest from 2014-2019. Illinois led the way with 13 cities in the top 50, and California followed with 10 cities in the top 50. Additionally, 29 of the top 50 shrinking cities were located in the Midwest. Although many of the shrinking cities were places in economic decline, the list also notably included a number of prosperous cities. Some of the wealthiest small cities in the country made the list, including Palo Alto and Newport Beach in California. In these cities, despite booming economies, a lack of new housing and poor housing affordability contributed to shrinking populations.

Rank	City	State	Population (2014)	Population (2019)	Growth Rate 2014-2019
1	Charleston	WV	50,133	46,536	-1.5%
2	Albany	GA	75,940	72,130	-1.0%
3	Decatur	IL	74,155	70,746	-0.9%
4	Cicero	IL	84,397	80,796	-0.9%
5	Erie	PA	99,714	95,508	-0.9%
6	Berwyn	IL	56,777	54,391	-0.9%
7	Gary	IN	77,985	74,879	-0.8%
8	Hammond	IN	78,586	75,522	-0.8%
9	Skokie	IL	65,223	62,700	-0.8%
10	Lawton	OK	96,660	93,025	-0.8%
11	Mount Prospect	IL	55,770	53,719	-0.7%
12	Oak Lawn	IL	57,106	55,022	-0.7%
13	Rocky Mount	NC	55,880	53,922	-0.7%
14	Saginaw	MI	49,798	48,115	-0.7%
15	Evanston	IL	75,994	73,473	-0.7%
16	Flint	MI	98,617	95,538	-0.6%
17	Waukegan	IL	88,791	86,075	-0.6%
18	Canton	OH	72,634	70,447	-0.6%
19	Casper	WY	59,673	57,931	-0.6%
20	Palatine	IL	69,427	67,482	-0.6%
21	Camden	NJ	75,673	73,562	-0.6%
22	Enid	OK	51,113	49,688	-0.6%
23	Niagara Falls	NY	49,083	47,720	-0.6%
24	Tinley Park	IL	57,364	55,773	-0.6%
25	Lakewood	OH	51,088	49,678	-0.6%
26	St. Joseph	MO	76,994	74,875	-0.6%
27	Hoffman Estates	IL	52,342	50,932	-0.5%
28	Schaumburg	IL	74,903	72,887	-0.5%
29	Parma	OH	80,166	78,103	-0.5%
30	Pico Rivera	CA	63,637	62,027	-0.5%
31	Utica	NY	61,289	59,750	-0.5%
32	Newport Beach	CA	86,688	84,534	-0.5%
33	Jacksonville	NC	74,217	72,436	-0.5%
34	Vineland	NJ	60,887	59,439	-0.5%
35	Huntington Park	CA	58,908	57,509	-0.5%
36	Florissant	MO	52,172	50,952	-0.5%
37	Mission Viejo	CA	96,622	94,381	-0.5%
38	Fountain Valley	CA	56,671	55,357	-0.5%
39	Muncie	IN	69,606	67,999	-0.5%
40	Palo Alto	CA	66,848	65,364	-0.4%
41	Dearborn Heights	MI	56,596	55,353	-0.4%
42	Cupertino	CA	60,592	59,276	-0.4%
43	Montebello	CA	63,322	61,954	-0.4%
44	Dearborn	MI	95,973	93,932	-0.4%
45	Compton	CA	97,634	95,605	-0.4%
46	Chicopee	MA	56,274	55,126	-0.4%
47	Lakewood	CA	80,927	79,307	-0.4%
48	Bloomington	IL	78,901	77,330	-0.4%
49	Waterloo	IA	68,676	67,328	-0.4%
50	Manhattan	KS	55,685	54,604	-0.4%

Methodology

This study measured the compounded annual growth rate of the population for cities in the United States from the period between 2014 through 2019 based upon population estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Cities considered in this analysis had a minimum population of 50,000 at some point during the period 2010-2019 and had a maximum population of 100,000 residents in 2019.

After calculating the compounded annual growth rate of the population for each city, we ranked the cities based upon their growth rates and found the top 50 cities that were growing the most quickly and the 50 cities that are shrinking the fastest.

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau, City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2019