31 Million and Counting: Texas Smashes Another Massive Population Milestone

It appears that out of staters are not listening when Texans say “Don’t move here. We are full!!” A new report finds certain areas of Texas continue to grow.

Texas Suburbs Lead the Nation as Urban Growth Cools

Much to the dismay of native Texans, the Lonestar State has officially crossed the 31 million resident milestone. The latest census data reveals a significant shift in how the state is growing. While Texas remains a national leader in population growth, adding 391,243 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, the breakneck speed in large Texas cities is beginning to throttle back, all while the suburbs explode.

The "Suburban Ring" Dominance

The fastest-growing areas in the United States are currently concentrated on the outer edges of Texas’s "Big Three" metros: Houston, Dallas, and Austin. In fact, four of the top ten fastest-growing counties in the entire country are right here in the Lone Star State: Waller, Kaufman, Liberty, and Caldwell.

The Urban Slowdown and the "Dallas Decline"

While the suburbs thrive, the state’s most populous urban centers are facing a new reality. Dallas County,ranked ninth in the nation for numeric decline, lost over 2,600 more residents than it gained. State Demographer Lloyd Potter told the Texas Tribune that the loss was due to limited, expensive housing in the city and a sharp 45% drop in illegal immigration. Under current federal administration policies, the flow of illegal immigrants has "slowed to a trickle." Laredo saw its growth rate plummet from 3.2% to a mere 0.2% in just one year.

The Places Everyone Wants To Be

The Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth regions still saw the largest numerical increases in the country, adding 126,720 and 123,557 residents respectively. Harris County remains the top county in the U.S. for adding new people, followed closely by Collin County.