Datastream
Ranked: The Fastest Growing Cities in the U.S.
The Briefing
- Five of the 20 fastest growing cities are in California
- However, California’s population growth as a whole has become stagnant over the last few years
- Between 2020-2025, the fastest growing U.S. city is expected to be The Woodlands, TX
Ranked: The Fastest Growing Cities in the U.S.
The world has become increasingly more urbanized, especially in America. Despite being one of the largest countries on the planet, over 80% of the U.S. population currently is concentrated in key metropolitan areas, and this urban concentration is only expected to increase in the coming years.
Which U.S. cities are leading this growth?
Here are the fastest growing urban areas in the U.S. with over 300,000 residents, based on their projected annual growth rate from 2020 to 2025.
Rank | City | State | Avg. Growth Rate ('20-'25p) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | The Woodlands | Texas | 4.76% |
2 | Temecula-Murrieta | California | 3.66% |
3 | Concord | North Carolina | 3.51% |
4 | Visalia | California | 3.39% |
5 | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina | 3.16% |
6 | Fayetteville-Springdale | Arkansas | 3.04% |
7 | Kissimmee | Florida | 2.95% |
8 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 2.84% |
9 | Victorville-Hesperia-Apple Valley | California | 2.82% |
10 | Raleigh | North Carolina | 2.80% |
11 | Cape Coral | Florida | 2.72% |
12 | Provo-Orem | Utah | 2.66% |
13 | Santa Clarita | California | 2.41% |
14 | Austin | Texas | 2.39% |
15 | Lancaster-Palmdale | California | 2.14% |
16 | Las Vegas | Nevada | 2.11% |
17 | Lafayette | Louisiana | 2.06% |
18 | Bonita Springs-Naples | Florida | 1.99% |
19 | McAllen | Texas | 1.96% |
20 | Port St. Lucie | Florida | 1.94% |
Coming in as America’s fastest growing city is The Woodlands, Texas. This Houston-adjacent community is projecting an extreme population increase, reflecting the rapid population growth of the state of Texas.
According to 2020 Census data, Texas is America’s third fastest growing state, with a population of over 29 million—that’s more than the entire population of Australia.
The second fastest growing city is Temecula-Murrieta, California, which lies in the center of the triangle formed by Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs. Despite the fact that five of the 20 fastest growing cities are in California, the Golden State’s overall population has been somewhat stagnant in recent years. In 2018, California’s population growth rate dipped to 0.47%—its slowest growth rate on record.
The Main Factors that Impact City Growth
What contributes to a city’s population growth? According to academic research conducted by Gilles Duranton and Diego Puga, there are several key drivers that impact urban growth:
- Transportation and housing supply: Restrictions on housing supply, along with poor transportation options or limited roads, tend to hinder urban growth.
- Amenities: This includes “natural” amenities, such as the weather—one of the most reliable predictors of city growth. Warmer temperatures in January and cooler temperatures in July are both strongly correlated with urban growth.
- Agglomeration effects: An educated city is more likely to be an entrepreneurial city, which attracts new firms and helps foster growth for existing firms. As a result, its population naturally increases.
Duranton and Puga stress that municipal and city governments likely play a role in a city’s population growth too—however, more research on the topic is needed to confirm their hypothesis.
» Like this? Then check out the fastest-growing cities worldwide.
Where does this data come from?
Source: UN World Urbanization Prospects 2018
Details:: The growth rate is measured by an average annual rate of change of urban agglomeration, with 300,00 or more in 2018 (%).
Datastream
Super-Sized Bets for Football’s Big Game (2013-2022)
Expanding legalization has driven an increase in bets on football’s big game, with wagers more than doubling from 2021 to 2022. (Sponsored Content)

The Briefing
- Sports betting became legal outside Nevada when the federal ban was lifted in 2018.
- Legalization contributed to betting growth, with wagers on football’s big game increasing ten-fold over the last decade.
Super-Sized Bets for Football’s Big Game
With 99 million viewers in 2022, “more Americans tune in to the Super Bowl than any other television broadcast.” Its large viewership, combined with expanding legislation, has led to ballooning wagers.
In this graphic sponsored by Roundhill Investments, we show how these bets have grown over the last 10 years.
Annual Legal Bets on the Big Game
From 2013 through 2018, sports betting was only legal in Nevada and year-over-year growth was low. However, when the federal sports betting ban was lifted in May 2018, more states started allowing bets.
By 2022, 33 states plus Washington, DC were legally able to bet on the game. Wagers climbed quickly as a result.
Year | Total Bets | Annual Growth |
---|---|---|
2013 | $99M | 5% |
2014 | $119M | 21% |
2015 | $116M | -3% |
2016 | $133M | 14% |
2017 | $138M | 4% |
2018 | $159M | 15% |
2019 | $191M | 20% |
2020 | $280M | 47% |
2021 | $486M | 73% |
2022 | $1.1B | 119% |
Data only for states that report bets on football’s big game, see graphic for full list of states included in 2022.
Impressively, legal bets surpassed the $1 billion mark in 2022. Growth was primarily driven by New York State legalizing online sports betting, with the state contributing nearly $500 million to the total.
Since the New York State Gaming Commission does not report event-specific totals, we have estimated this amount based on sports bets made the week leading up to and including the date of the big game.
Investment Exposure to an Emerging Industry
Due to legalization, bets on football’s big game have grown 10 times larger over the last decade. A further shift away from bookies and toward legal operators appears to be likely. In September 2022, 89% of Americans said it was important to bet with a legal operator this NFL season, up from 76% in February 2022.
For legal operators, this could translate into revenue opportunities. Companies that take legal bets reported more than $62 million in revenue from the big game alone in 2022, a 37% jump from the prior year.
Looking for exposure to the growing sports betting industry? Explore Roundhill’s sports betting ETF, $BETZ.
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