The U.S. Census Bureau has released its latest batch of data examining population growth in cities and towns across the U.S.
And it turns out that two of the fastest-growing cities are located here in the Sunshine State.
More specifically, the data takes a look at the population growth in these areas between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024.
Overall, the fastest-growing city was Princeton, Texas, which experienced an over 30% increase in residents during that time. Fulshear, Texas, came close behind at No. 2.
[BELOW: See which metro areas are growing fastest in 2025]
But the No. 3 spot went to Leesburg, which got a boosted to nearly 40,000 people within that timeframe — roughly 18% growth.
A little lower down on the list is Haines City, which saw an approximate 12% growth, bringing the city’s population to over 42,000.
In fact, mid-sized cities in the southern U.S. saw greater growth rates than any other region of the country, the data reveals.
The top 15 cities for relative population growth were as follows:
| Rank | City | State | % Increase | 2024 Total Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton | TX | 30.6% | 37,019 |
| 2 | Fulshear | TX | 26.9% | 54,629 |
| 3 | Leesburg | FL | 18.5% | 37,815 |
| 4 | Celina | TX | 18.2% | 51,661 |
| 5 | Anna | TX | 14.6% | 31,986 |
| 6 | Haines City | FL | 12.1% | 42,073 |
| 7 | Foley | AL | 12.0% | 28,043 |
| 8 | Fate | TX | 11.4% | 27,467 |
| 9 | Rosemount | MN | 10.6% | 30,581 |
| 10 | Garner | NC | 10.4% | 39,345 |
| 11 | Melissa | TX | 10.0% | 26,194 |
| 12 | Sugar Hill | GA | 9.5% | 28,598 |
| 13 | Hutto | TX | 9.4% | 42,661 |
| 14 | Leland | NC | 9.4% | 34,451 |
| 15 | Erie | CO | 9.2% | 38,594 |
Meanwhile, the Florida city that had the greatest total number of new residents turned out to be Jacksonville, which hit the 1,000,000 population mark in 2024.
In addition, Jacksonville was shown to be the 10th-most populous city in the nation thanks to its newcomers.
As such, the top 15 cities for pure population growth were as follows:
| Rank | City | State | Numeric Increase | 2024 Total Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | NY | 87,184 | 8,478,072 |
| 2 | Houston | TX | 43,217 | 2,390,125 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | CA | 31,276 | 3,878,704 |
| 4 | San Antonio | TX | 23,945 | 1,526,656 |
| 5 | Fort Worth | TX | 23,442 | 1,008,106 |
| 6 | Charlotte | NC | 23,423 | 943,476 |
| 7 | Chicago | IL | 22,164 | 2,721,308 |
| 8 | Phoenix | AZ | 16,933 | 1,673,164 |
| 9 | Seattle | WA | 16,813 | 780,995 |
| 10 | Jacksonville | FL | 16,365 | 1,009,833 |
| 11 | Miami | FL | 16,337 | 487,014 |
| 12 | Washington | DC | 14,926 | 702,250 |
| 13 | San Jose | CA | 13,634 | 997,368 |
| 14 | Columbus | OH | 12,694 | 933,263 |
| 15 | Las Vegas | NV | 12,292 | 678,922 |
You can read up on the full study by clicking here.