Boom Town
Austin's growing faster than any other big city in the country

Austin has, not surprisingly, experienced some serious population growth in the past few years. The latest United States Census Bureau report says Austin is the 11th most populous city in the country. We can now proudly say that we larger than San Francisco, California; Jacksonville, Florida; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
In 2010, census data recorded Austin's population at 790,390. Our 2013 population estimate was 885,400 — an increase of 95,010 people in just three years. Austin's population grew 12 percent between 2010-2013, making it the fastest-growing among the 25 largest cities. Austin is followed by Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; and Seattle, Washington.
In addition to new people, the study attributes the annexation of land as a contributor to population growth. The report states that Austin gained 20,369 people between 2010-2013 due to boundary changes, making for the third largest increase in population due to expanding city limits. Austin covered 297.9 square miles in 2010, but jumped up slightly to 301.2 square miles in 2013 due to city annexations in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
According to the report, Austin is just one example of the overall trend of urban population growth. Two-thirds of Americans live in cities and, during the the 2000-2013 period, the U.S. city population rose by about 24.1 million, a stunning 13.9 percent.