Texas exurbs top U.S. growth rankings as immigration slows and metro-area gains cool in 2025
New federal estimates show suburban counties near Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth leading domestic moves
Suburban counties on the outer rings of Texas’ largest metropolitan areas are among the nation’s strongest population-growth hubs, even as overall growth in U.S. metro areas cooled in 2025 amid a slowdown in international migration.
New population estimates show the average growth rate for U.S. metro areas fell from 1.1% in 2024 to 0.6% in 2025. The shift coincided with slower international migration, a factor that had helped many urban areas rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Border-region slowdowns stand out as migration patterns change
Several metro areas along the southern border saw some of the sharpest year-over-year decelerations in 2025. Laredo’s growth rate dropped from 3.2% to 0.2%, while Yuma, Arizona, slowed from 3.3% to 1.4%. El Centro, California, moved from 1.2% growth into a decline of -0.7%.
These changes underscore how quickly local population trajectories can shift when international migration patterns fluctuate, particularly in regions where cross-border movement plays an outsized role in annual population change.
Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth remain national growth engines
Despite the nationwide slowdown, Texas’ largest metro areas remained among the top performers for total population gains in 2025. The Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas ranked among the leading U.S. metro areas by numeric growth, alongside Atlanta, Phoenix and Charlotte.
Within Texas, the strongest growth concentrations increasingly appear in far-out suburban counties that draw movers from elsewhere in the United States. Collin County, outside Dallas, and Montgomery County, outside Houston, were highlighted among the leading destinations for domestic movers. The same pattern was also observed in Pinal County, Arizona, outside Phoenix, and in Pasco and Polk counties outside Tampa, Florida.
Fast-growing Texas cities cluster in high-growth suburban corridors
Recent city-level estimates illustrate the speed of change in some Texas suburbs. In the year ending July 2024, Princeton, Texas, recorded a 30.6% population increase among U.S. cities with at least 20,000 residents. Fulshear, in the Houston metro area, also ranked among the fastest-growing cities nationally, posting a 14.6% increase over the same period.
Other North Texas cities—Anna and Celina—were also among the fastest-growing by percentage in that timeframe, reflecting continued outward expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
What the numbers signal for local planning
Growth is increasingly concentrated in exurban counties and fast-developing municipalities, intensifying pressure on roads, water systems, schools and public safety staffing.
Year-to-year shifts in international migration can quickly alter growth patterns, especially in border regions and historically immigrant-receiving counties.
Texas metros remain among the country’s largest growth centers by raw population gains, even as the national growth rate moderates.
Population estimates are subject to revision as new data becomes available and as the Census Bureau updates methods and inputs used to produce annual totals.