Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Austin-area growth slows
County Comparison Population growth from 2020-23
Zooming in
1-5% 6-10% 11-15%
The slightly slower growth was traced to fewer people moving in from elsewhere in Texas and the U.S.; that migration trend reached modern lows. Around 118,000 people moved to Central Texas from within the U.S. from 2020-2023. However, in Travis County, about 2,000 more people exited than entered over that period—making it the only Central Texas county to experience negative net domestic migration. It was the first time Travis County saw that trend since the early 2000s. Williamson County kept pace as one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties, and the sixth-fastest growing in Texas, a more than 13% population increase between 2020 and 2023. Bastrop and Hays counties also saw more than 10% growth, Caldwell County grew by 8.52%, while Travis County grew by less than 3%.
Williamson 13.26%
Central Texas remains one of the fastest- growing regions in the country, although the pace of Austin and Travis County’s annual population growth are slowing. The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area—Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties—saw population growth of 7.53% between July 2020 and July 2023 with more than 173,000 residents added. The five-county region ranked 26th nationally, based on new U.S. Census Bureau data, behind others in Texas including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Greater Houston and the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro. The region added about 50,000 people from 2022-2023, a more than 2% population increase. However, the Austin area slipped to the second fastest-growing major metro in the U.S. behind the Jacksonville, Florida area. Central Texas had been the fastest- growing for more than a decade.
Travis 2.96%
Bastrop 12.97%
Hays 14.97%
Caldwell 8.52%
What’s next
For now, Valencia said Austin staff will be reviewing the patterns of those entering and leaving Central Texas following Travis County’s recent dip. “Historically, the Austin metro area receives about 50% of domestic migrants from other parts of Texas and about 20% from out of state. When we receive additional data on migration flows, we’ll have a better understanding of the number and origins of domestic migrants to the Austin metro area,” Valencia said.
Austin Demographer Lila Valencia said the new census estimates show the metro area is continuing its trend of growth, even after falling from its previous top spot. The information helps paint a picture of regional trends, but is also essential for allocating federal funding across a variety of areas as well as setting boundaries for local, state and federal political representation. The Census Bureau is expected to release city- and town-level population estimates, and new information on local housing trends, after press time.
Austin metro’s growth
7.53% increase from 2020-2023
2.47M
2.42M
2.36M
2.3M
2020
2021
2022
2023
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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