People are flocking to Texas. Five cities in the Lone Star State made Forbes’ annual list of the fastest-growing cities for the year—the most of any other state. Strong population growth and unemployment levels below 5 percent continue to make Texas a big draw.
Forbes compiled its list of fastest-growing cities for 2015 by analyzing the 100 most populated metro areas in the U.S. and ranking them on six metrics, including estimated population increases, job growth, economic growth, and the median annual pay for college-educated workers.
Here are the 10 metros that topped Forbes’ list as fastest-growing cities for 2015:
1. Houston
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 1.74%
Job growth rate: 4.5%
Unemployment: 4.8%
2. Austin, Texas
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 2.51%
Job growth rate: 3.14%
Unemployment: 4.13%
3. Dallas
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 2.04%
Job growth rate: 4.1%
Unemployment: 4.91%
4. Raleigh, N.C.
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 2.02%
Job growth rate: 3.54%
Unemployment: 4.83%
5. Seattle
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 1.3%
Job growth rate: 3.56%
Unemployment: 4.7%
6. Denver
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 1.43%
Job growth rate: 2.66%
Unemployment: 4%
7. San Francisco
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 0.95%
Job growth rate: 3.52%
Unemployment: 4.16%
8. Fort Worth, Texas
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 2.1%
Job growth rate: 2.64%
Unemployment: 4.95%
9. Charlotte, N.C.
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 1.98%
Job growth rate: 3.1%
Unemployment: 5.84%
10. San Antonio, Texas
Projected 2015 population growth rate: 1.93%
Job growth rate: 3.06%
Unemployment: 4.56%
Source: “America’s Fastest-Growing Cities 2015,” Forbes.com (Jan. 27, 2015)
