The 50 fastest growing metro areas were mostly concentrated in the West and the South, with 23 of them in the West and 25 in the South, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates. Of the remaining two of the top 50, Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo. was the only metro area that spread over both the South and Midwest region while the lone metro area of the Midwest was Sioux Falls, S.D. It is interesting to note that there were no metro areas in the Northeast among the 50 fastest growing metro areas. The first fastest growing metro area in the Northeast region to feature in the list is York-Hanover, Pa., at 95th rank.
The U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates reveal the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006, as well as the top numeric gainers.
It is an interesting fact that the top five metro areas with the largest numeric change in the last 6 years were all in the South or West. Atlanta metro area stood first with the greatest numerical gain among the nation's 361 metro areas, by an increase of 890,000 residents. Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, with an increase of 842,000 residents, was the metro area with the second largest numeric gain. Houston stood third among the numeric gainers with an increase of 825,000 residents. The other metro areas of the top five numeric gainers are Phoenix with an increase of 787,000, followed by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California with an addition of 771,000 residents.
The top ten U.S. metro areas with the highest numerical growth in population between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2006 are:
1.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia, with a population gain of 890,211.
2.Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, with a population gain of 842,449.
3.Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, with a population gain of 824,547.
4.Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona, with a population gain of 787,306.
5.Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California, with a population gain of 771,314.
6.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California, with a population gain of 584,510.
7.New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with a population gain of 495,154.
8.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., with a population gain of 494,220.
9.Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Fla., with a population gain of 455,869.
10.Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with a population gain of 407,133.
The top ten fastest-growing U.S. metro areas between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2006 are:
1.St. George, Utah, with 39.8 % increase in population.
2.Greeley, Colorado, with 31.0 % increase in population.
3.Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida, with 29.6 % increase in population.
4.Bend, Oregon, with 29.3 % increase in population.
5.Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada, with 29.2 % increase in population.
6.Provo-Orem, Utah, with 25.9 % increase in population.
7.Naples-Marco Island, Florida, with 25.2 % increase in population.
8.Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina, with 24.8 % increase in population.
9.Gainesville, Georgia, with 24.4% increase in population.
10.Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona, with 24.2 % increase in population.
