Is Austin still the fastest growing metro in the US? Nope. But it's still booming

For more than a decade, the Austin metro grew faster than any large metro in the country. But for at least this year, it's reign has come to an end.

The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) saw the highest percent growth of any major metro for 12 straight years, according to the city of Austin. And even though the 12-year streak is now over — the city is still growing faster than almost every major city according to multiple census metrics.

The latest data, which was released on Thursday, shows the metro is the second fastest-growing region among cities with populations over 1 million. 

Only the Jacksonville, Florida metro area saw a higher rate of growth, which saw a 2.2% increase in population from 2022-2023.

The data also show Austin as the 26th most populous metro area in the country as it added more than 50,000 residents between 2022 and 2023, growing at a rate of 2.1%.

The central Texas trident of communities also saw the seventh-largest numeric increase in population between 2022 and 2023.

“These population estimates show a continued trend of strong and rapid population growth for the Austin metro area even if we’re not at the very top of the list,” said City of Austin Demographer Lila Valencia in a release.

The city explained in a release that migration continues to be a major driver of growth in the Austin region. However, this year migration from other states and other parts of Texas made up a smaller share in growth.

The city also spotlighted the fact that domestic migration — migrants moving into the metro area from other parts of Texas and other U.S. states — is the lowest it has been in the past decade. This comes as international migration was the highest it has been in more than 10 years.

Each of the largest counties in the Austin metro area – Travis, Williamson, and Hays – saw lower net migration between 2022 and 2023. It is worth noting that the steepest declines were seen in Travis County, where estimates indicate more people are moving out of, rather than in to, the county, resulting in negative net migration.

Beck Andrew Salgado covers trending topics in the Austin business ecosystem for the American-Statesman. To share additional tips or insights with Salgado, email Bsalgado@gannett.com.