These 10 Cities Are the Fastest-Growing in the U.S
- New study shows that the city leading in population growth is Goodyear, Arizona, with the number of residents increasing by 42.04% over the last 5 years.
- Texas stands out with 4 cities making the list of highest population growth.
- St. George, Utah ranks second with the highest job growth rate of 5%.
A new study by CasinooftheKings analyzed U.S. cities with the fastest development to identify the ones that have the biggest population growth. The study also considers infrastructure and employment growth to assess the support of the increasing population. Metrics like infrastructure investments, housing development, job growth rate, population growth, and unemployment rate were taken into account to come up with the composite score by which the cities are ranked.
| City | Composite Score | Infrastructure Development Investment (2024) | (Per person) Investment into Development | Housing Development (per 1000 existing homes) | Job Growth Rate | Net Benefit Index | Population Growth over 5 years (%) | Unemployment Rate 2024 |
| Goodyear, Arizona | 63.13 | $232,000,000.00 | $1,833.53 | 45.3 | 2.50% | 0.00% | 42.04% | 3.8% |
| St. George, Utah | 58.53 | $55,000,000.00 | $530.31 | 34 | 5.00% | 0.50% | 15.25% | 3.5% |
| Frisco, Texas | 53.50 | $120,000,000.00 | $522.09 | 36.8 | 4.50% | 0.30% | 22.15% | 3.2% |
| McKinney, Texas | 47.84 | $100,000,000.00 | $439.43 | 35.3 | 4.50% | 0.20% | 18.74% | 3.0% |
| Meridian, Idaho | 46.70 | $65,000,000.00 | $423.86 | 41.9 | 4.00% | -0.10% | 34.33% | 3.5% |
| Nampa, Idaho | 45.22 | $40,000,000.00 | $314.88 | 38.7 | 4.00% | 0.20% | 24.50% | 3.6% |
| Conroe, Texas | 42.32 | $75,000,000.00 | $673.74 | 37.1 | 3.20% | 0.30% | 22.72% | 3.8% |
| League City, Texas | 37.98 | $85,000,000.00 | $637.36 | 35.9 | 3.20% | 0.20% | 19.90% | 3.10% |
| Port St. Lucie, Florida | 37.39 | $85,000,000.00 | $346.91 | 39.2 | 3.50% | 0.00% | 25.49% | 3.9% |
| Buckeye, Arizona | 37.30 | $45,000,000.00 | $391.85 | 43.4 | 3.00% | -0.10% | 40.69% | 3.6% |
The city with the biggest population growth is Goodyear, Arizona, with a score of 63.13 which reflects both high population growth and infrastructure development. Over the last 5 years, the population of the city increased by 42.02%, the highest growth rate in the list. The city also received the highest infrastructure investments, which sum up to 232 million or $1,833 per person.
St. George, Utah, takes the second place in the ranking of the U.S. cities leading in population growth with a composite score of 58.13. The city received $55 million for infrastructure development which amounts to $530.31 per resident. St. George has the highest job growth rate among all the cities in the list at 5% and the highest net benefit between cost of living and average salary at 0.5%.
Frisco, Texas, ranks third, scoring 53.5. The city has the second biggest infrastructure investments of $120 million, following only Goodyear. The city saw a job growth rate of 4.5% as well as fast housing development, with 36.8 new houses built per 1000 existing homes. Unemployment in Frisco is also lower than in Goodyear or St. George at 3.2%.
McKinney, Texas, holds fourth place, with a score of 47.84. The population in the city grew 18.74% in the last 5 years and the number of jobs grew 4.5%. Infrastructural investments for McKinney are a little smaller than for Frisco and sum up to $100 million. The city also has the lowest unemployment rate in the ranking at 3%.
Meridian, Idaho, is fifth in the ranking of the U.S. cities leading in population growth, getting a score of 46.7. Meridian’s population grew 34.33% in the last five years, more than McKinney and Frisco. The investments in infrastructure amount to $423.86 per resident or $65 million total. Meridian also invested heavily in housing, and its housing development rate is the third highest in the ranking.
Nampa, Idaho, follows closely with sixth place and a score of 45.22. The city has the smallest investments of $40 million but it still has a high job growth rate of 4% and net benefit of 0.2%, more than in Goodyear.
Conroe, Texas, takes seventh place, scoring 42.32. The infrastructure investments of $75 million are higher than in Meridian and Nampa and helped the city to increase total population by 22.72%. Conroe also has the second highest investments per person at $673.36, 2.5 times less than in Goodyear.
League City, Texas, ranks eighth, with a score of 37.98. The population of the city grew 19.9%. The jobs in the city grew the most with 3.2% and a net benefit of 0.2%. The unemployment in League City is one of the lowest in the list, amounting to 3.1%.
Port St. Lucie, Florida, is ninth, getting a score of 37.39. It has the same infrastructure investments as League City at $85 million but it has better housing development with 39.2 new houses per 1,000 existing homes, the third highest rate in the list.
Buckeye, Arizona, closes the ranking of the U.S. cities leading in population growth with tenth place and a score of 37.3. The city saw the second highest population growth of 40.69%. Buckeye also follows closely in housing development, being second only to Goodyear.