The 15 Fastest-Growing Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas (10/20 to 10/21)

In our last iteration of this population study, we compared two critical periods: April 2020 (the onset of COVID-19) to April 2021 (when vaccines started rolling out in the United States). The update before that, we compared October 2019 to October 2020.

This time around, we wanted to see how the year since October 2020 has fared in terms of population change. With the pandemic onset in March, the year 2020 was tumultuous, to say the least, with many people fleeing some of the larger cities for different areas. It seems that 2021 has brought much change as well. Let’s take a look at what areas of the country are seeing growth.

What is a Metropolitan vs. a Micropolitan Area?

First, two quick definitions from the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for those who are new to the blog:

• Micropolitan areas are those with a core urban area of at least 10,000 but fewer than 50,000 people.
• Metropolitan areas have at least one city with a population of 50,000 or higher.

As of March 2020, there are 384 metropolitan statistical areas and 543 micropolitan statistical areas in the United States.

Top 15 Fast-growing Metropolitan Areas

Here’s a look at the 15 fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. between October 2020 and October 2021:

#15: Idaho Falls, Idaho | 2.57% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#14: Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina | 2.68% (#9 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#13: Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Alabama | 2.72% (#6 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#12: Greeley, Colorado | 2.74% (#3 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#11: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas | 2.97% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#10: Logan, Utah/Idaho | 3.06% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#9: Hinesville, Georgia | 3.22% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#8: The Villages, Florida | 3.23% (#4 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#7: Provo-Orem, Utah | 3.28% (#8 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#6: Punta Gorda, Florida | 3.29% (#7 on the the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#5: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas | 3.31% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#4: Boise, Idaho | 3.34% (#5 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#3: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho | 3.42% (#13 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#2: St. George, Utah | 3.98% (#1 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#1: Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina/North Carolina | 4.25% (#2 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

Of course, if you want to see how this top 15 compares to the top 15 comparing growth April 2020 to April 2021, visit that blog post here.

Metro Area Growth - Observations

• Four of the top 5  were also in the top 5 last time around (April 2020-April 2021 list).
• Relocating still hasn’t slowed down. Top markets are still seeing 2-4% annual growth, which would indicate that people are on the move. Will this trend last and has it always been this way? It’s hard to say, but it appears to be true currently.
• Growers continue to be concentrated in the Sunbelt and Mountain West regions. Is this an indication that many are still flocking from the large cities to the more laidback cities that still offer plenty of opportunity?
• Not on this list: The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metropolitan area reversed its losses between October 2020 and October 2021. The area gained over 69,000 people (which is 0.34%, but still a gain). Meanwhile, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, continued to lose people, as did Chicago.
• In case you’re curious, cities over 1 million in population that saw the largest increases included Austin (#5 on our list), Raleigh (#14 on our list), Nashville (2.31%), Dallas-Fort Worth (2.2%) and Las Vegas (2.08%).
• Dallas-Fort Worth was the only metro to gain more than 100,000 population (+$168,000); Los Angeles had by far the biggest drop, losing almost 50,000 people.
• Six of the top 15 on our 2019-Oct. 2020 list dropped off this list this time (a year later): Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL and Bend, OR, Hilton Head Island, SC, Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL, Naples, FL, and Midland, TX.

Top 15 Fast-growing Micropolitan Areas

Now for the 15 fastest-growing micropolitan areas in the U.S. between October 2020 and October 2021:

#15: Enterprise, Alabama | 2.71% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#14: Prineville, Oregon | 2.76% (#10 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#13: Vermillion, South Dakota | 2.78% (new to top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#12: Williston, North Dakota | 2.82% (#1 on the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#11: Pahrump, Nevada | 2.86% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#10: Cedar City, Utah | 2.87% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#9: Rexburg, Idaho | 2.88% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#8: Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina | 2.97% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#7: Sandpoint, Idaho | 3.12% (#9 on our April 2020-April 2021 list)

#6: Brookings, Oregon | 3.59% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#5: Show Low, Arizona | 3.61% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#4: Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts | 3.98% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#3: Cullowhee, North Carolina | 3.99% (new to the top 15 since the April 2020-April 2021 list)

#2: Jackson, Wyoming/Idaho | 4.33% (#3 on our April 2020-April 2021 list)

#1: Jefferson, Georgia | 5.30% (#2 on our April 2020-April 2021 list)

Micro Area Growth - Observations

• Just two of the top 5 from the October 2020-October 2021 list was also in the top 5 last time around: Jackson, WY, and Jefferson, GA.
• As with the metro areas, it seems that relocating is still happening, with top markets still seeing 2-4% annual growth.
• A glance at the top 10 spots on the list paints a picture of people continuing to move to places with quality of life and beauty. The work-from-anywhere trend continues, and it could be that some of the population growth in places like Martha’s Vineyard, Jackson’s Hole and the Outer Banks is driven by people’s decision to live where they want to live.
• Nine of the top 15 on our 2019-Oct. 2020 list dropped off this list this time (a year later): Summit, UT, Shelbyville, TN, Gillette, WY, Crossville, TN, Durant, OK, Kalispell, MT, Bozeman, MT, Heber, UT, and Arcadia, FL.

This has been a sneak peek at the new population data from STI: PopStats (the January 2022 release that compares population for 4th quarter—Oct 2021—to October 2020). For SiteSeer users that subscribe to PopStats, this latest release is now available in the software. If you’re not a SiteSeer subscriber but want to learn more about how the platform can help you make critical decisions about markets, site selection and more, contact us or take a demo!