As part of a deep dive into the economics of America’s cities, Curbed looked at which cities are growing the fastest and slowest in terms of both jobs and people.
The overall, broad trend conforms to the popular image of a growing Sunbelt and declining “Frost Belt” of cold-weather cities. However, the most rapidly growing large cities are not sprawling, unregulated Sunbelt ones (such as Houston), but two relatively expensive tech hubs, anchored by leading research universities—Seattle and Austin. Denver, Washington, D.C., and Raleigh also make the top 10. Miami comes fourth, and Fort Worth, Charlotte, Mesa, Arizona, and Omaha round out the list.
Leading tech hubs and superstar cities actually appear far down the growing-cities list. Boston is 21st and and San Francisco 22nd, both with around 7 percent growth. L.A. is 34th, with 3.7 percent growth; New York, 35th, with 3.4 percent growth.
The picture changes somewhat for employment growth—and conforms even better to the narrative of an ascendant Sunbelt. The chart below shows the change in cities’ employed population from 2012 to 2017. The fastest-growing cities are growing 10 times faster than the slowest-growing ones.
Advertisement
Related Stories
New-Home Sales
Mortgage Rates Are Up but New-Home Sales Still Solid in March
Lack of existing home inventory drove a rise in new-home sales, despite higher interest rates in March
Labor + Trade Relations
Who's Earning What in Construction
Workers in construction management roles may earn a higher median wage, but on average, lower-paid occupations have experienced somewhat faster wage growth
Build to Rent
Build-to-Rent Is Booming, Particularly in These Metros
A recent report finds that the Phoenix metro leads with more than 4,000 build-to-rent units completed in 2023, and Texas is the leading state for build-to-rent development