Maybe it’s the climate, the low taxes, or the general friendliness, but whatever it is, Texas is king when it comes to attracting population growth in the United States. According to recently released Census Bureau data, three of the top five fastest growing cities are in Texas, largely thanks to the booming tech industry that has emerged in the Lone Star State. But even outside of Texas, many of the fastest growing cities by population are hotbeds of technological innovation, headed by none other than New York, whose Silicon Alley is fast rivaling California’s Silicon Valley.
Much like Glassdoor’s recently released list of the 25 Best Cities for Jobs, a common thread amongst the most attractive locations seems to be what they offer in the way of career opportunities. And no industry seems hotter right now than the tech industry. While the brogrammers of San Francisco, Menlo Park, and Mountainview have long held a monopoly on the tech spotlight, a number of other cities are giving northern California a run for its money.
Right behind New York City, which added 52,700 people to its total headcount over the last year, is Houston, Texas, whose total population, starting from a lower base than the Big Apple, grew by a staggering 35,700 to 2.2 million. While this major Texas city may traditionally elicit images of big oil and energy companies, there are a number of young startups heating up the scene. After all, let’s not forget that NASA’s Johnson Space Center is located in Houston.
At number four (after Los Angeles) stands Austin, Texas, whose burgeoning tech scene has been making headlines for quite some time, and which hosts the annual SXSW conference that draws tech talent from across the country and around the world to the Texas capital. Indeed, Austin’s trendy image and tech magnetism have been drawing people consistently since 2010 — in the last four years, Austin’s population has grown by 100,000, which as CNN points out, is more than the total number of people who moved to San Francisco and Philadelphia combined.
Rounding out the top five for Texas is San Antonio, which saw just under 25,000 people settle down last year. The seemingly soft-spoken neighbor to Austin, San Antonio is quickly becoming a hub for biotechnology and cybersecurity firms, which are becoming all the more important in an increasingly data-driven and interconnected online environment.
As a Texas native, my bias towards my home state is clear. But if the Census Bureau is any indication, I’m not alone in thinking that the Lone Star State is winning over hearts and minds, with bodies following suit.
