- Around 11 million American families moved in the last year. Many of them headed to small, booming cities throughout the U.S.
- Wildwood in Florida was the top-ranked place for fastest-growing cities due to its retiree friendly lifestyle and great location.
- Southern and Western states, including Florida and Texas, ranked highest for affordability and quality of life.
Americans are moving. According to data collected by the Current Population Survey8,3 percent (approximately 11, million) of American households reported that they had moved in the past year. And while they are moving just about everywhere—including abroad—there are some destinations within the U.S. that are far more popular than others. U.S. News and World Report has released a list of the top 10 fastest growing cities in America.
People are moving, and towns all over the country are filling up. In its list, it said that “this great reshuffle” has made some small towns boomtowns.
The news outlet reported that while baby boomers are still flocking to places like Florida and Arizona to live, younger remote workers spread the wealth in western and southern states, which “offer an ideal balance between affordability and quality-of-life.”
U.S. News and World Report team calculated the fastest growing cities based on net migration. This is the percentage change in population from 2020-2024. Wildwood, Florida was named the fastest-growing city after the team analyzed all national data.
U.S. News and World Report stated that the population is now 34,933 and there has been a net migration rate of almost 20 percent (19.53 to be precise).
“No, that’s not a typo— this city has grown by nearly 20 percent and is continuing to grow as you read this,” it noted. “Wildwood in central Florida is a retirement heaven with themed restaurants, golf courses and all the fun community-based events you can handle.”
The Villages is a popular retirement community that has been growing rapidly, and this gives the community a major advantage in terms of its growth. The article also stated that the community is located just 50 miles away from Orlando and 75 from Tampa. This makes it a great place for those who are looking to be active and have easy access to large cities.
Wildwood is the fastest growing city out of 859 cities studied this year, according to the article.
The southern states dominated top rankings. Hilton Head Island in South Carolina came in second with its growth rate of 7.08 percent, while Leander in Texas was third with a 6.81 percent growth rate. Palm Desert in California, with a growth rate of 6.72 %, broke the Southern monopoly. Next, it was back to Florida. Naples, Florida, rounded off the top five, with a growth rate of 6,38 percent.
Florida and Texas were the two states that dominated with 16 out of 25 top spots. However, Caldwell, Idaho ranked at No. The modest growth of 3.21 per cent is what makes up the number 25. It doesn’t hurt either that US News and World Report dubbed it “an outdoor oasis,” making it an attractive place to move.
Find out where to live in the best new cities. realestate.usnews.com.
