Growing and Growing

Surprising Austin neighbor named the fastest-growing city in America

Georgetown is the fastest-growing city in America.

Photo courtesy of City of Georgetown

It's been hinted at before, but the numbers keep confirming that Texas is growing by leaps and bounds. In the latest study from the U.S. Census Bureau, five of the nation's 11 fastest-growing cities are in the Lone Star State.

And who tops them all? Georgetown. The charming city less than an hour outside of Austin saw its population rise 7.8 percent between mid-2014 and mid-2015, making it the nation’s fastest-growing city with a population of 50,000 or more.

Nearby New Braunfels and Pflugerville are also on the list. New Braunfels claims the second spot with a 6.6 percent population increase, and Pflugerville barely misses the top 10 with a 4.5 increase. Other booming Texas cities include Frisco near Dallas (No. 4) and Pearland near Houston (No. 7).

In 2015, Austin crossed the 2 million population threshold for the first time and is predicted to hit 3 million by 2030. During this period, however, the Capital City added more people (19,000) than all but seven other U.S. cities.

Turns out Texas isn't so far behind New York City, either. Houston comes in right behind the Big Apple on the list of largest numeric increases for cities with a population of 50,000 or more, having added 40,032 people by July 1, 2015.

San Antonio takes fourth (29,536 new residents), Fort Worth sixth (19,894), Dallas seventh (19,642), and Austin eighth (19,117).

Houston is crowned the most populous city in Texas, and second nationally only to NYC. San Antonio isn't far behind at No. 7, and Dallas manages to sneak in at No. 9. Austin misses the top 10 by about 70,000 residents.

Arlington rejoined the list of the 50 most populous cities, displacing Cleveland.

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Austin is No. 12 in the U.S. with the highest number of 'unretirees'

Photo by Sweet Life on Unsplash

Austin seniors are still punching the clock.

Many Austin seniors are still punching the clock well past retirement age. According to "Cities with the Most Working Seniors," a new employment study by business website ChamberofCommerce.org, more than a quarter of Austin seniors aged 65 and up are still employed, making it the No. 12 city in the U.S. with the most working seniors.

More than 25,400 Austin seniors aged 65 and up are employed out of a total 93,861, or 27.1 percent of the city's senior population.

The No. 1 city in the U.S. with hard-working oldsters is Alexandria, Virginia, located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where 36.8 percent of its seniors still employed. Coming in second was Tallahassee, Florida, with 30.9 percent. In third place was Dallas, with 30.3 percent of the senior population clocking in for work around the city.

To determine their ranking, the site examined the percentage of seniors aged 65 and over who were actively employed within the last 12 months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Their analysis included data from 170 of the nation’s most populous cities.

The report says the median household income of a senior citizen in Austin is $58,546, and hints at the rising cost of living coupled with personal extenuating circumstances leading to a new trend of "unretiring" seniors within the local workforce.

"Deciding when to retire is one of the most important financial and personal decisions that workers can make," the report's author said. "Before making the leap, make sure you have factored in your savings, social security benefits, spending habits, economic volatility, and how your social life will change after retirement."

Also in Central Texas, San Antonio ranked No. 82 overall with 22.1 percent of the senior population currently in the workforce. Although that seems like a smaller number of people, it's actually much larger than Austin, with 41,918 seniors toiling away out of a total 189,544.

San Antonio's relatively high percentage of working seniors might come as a surprise, considering the city was named one of the best cities for retirees earlier in 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities with the most working seniors are:

No. 1 – Alexandria, Virginia
No. 2 – Tallahassee, Florida
No. 3 – Dallas, Texas
No. 4 – Irvine, California
No. 5 – Washington, D.C.
No. 6 – Plano, Texas
No. 7 – Anchorage, Alaska
No. 8 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
No. 9 – Overland Park, Kansas
No. 10 – Madison, Wisconsin

ChamberofCommerce.org is a digital site for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The full report and its methodology can be found on chamberofcommerce.org.

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