Large cities in the South with populations of 50,000 or more continue to grow at a faster pace than cities in any other U.S. region, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Atlanta Skyline looking south, including Midtown and Downtown.
BYRON E. SMALL

In the decade between 2010 and 2019, the population of the city of Atlanta grew by 18.7% to about 506,800, the Census Bureau reported May 21.

The South leads the way with 10 of the top 15 fastest-growing large U.S. cities, the Census Bureau said.

Since the 2010 Census, the populations of large southern cities increased by an average of 11.8%. In contrast, large cities in the West grew by 9.1%. Large cities in the Northeast and Midwest grew by 1.5% and 3.1%, respectively.

A few hours up Interstate 85 from Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., has jumped San Francisco to become the nation’s 15th-largest city.

In terms of numeric change, cities in Texas are among those that have added the most people during the past decade. Collectively, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Forth Worth and Dallas increased by almost 933,600 people, the Census Bureau said.

Along with people, five states gained more than 50,000 housing units between 2018 and 2019: Texas (185,000), Florida (128,000), California (91,000), North Carolina (64,000) and Georgia (53,000), the Census Bureau said.

–atlantabusinesschronicle.com