Fastest-growing small towns
These towns have added people fastest since 2020. The book calls them boom towns: home values usually rise, but chain stores and big apartment complexes can follow, and the small-town feel may not last.
How we picked
- Incorporated towns with 2,500 or more people in 2020, and not suburbs
- Ranked by population change from 2020 to 2025 (Census Bureau estimates)
| # | Town | Since 2020 | People | Typical home | Big city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnolia, TX | +166.6% | 8,095 | $322,800 | 36 mi to Houston |
| 2 | Princeton, TX | +148.7% | 43,524 | $331,000 | 31 mi to Dallas |
| 3 | Dripping Springs, TX | +118% | 11,167 | $635,600 | 21 mi to Austin |
| 4 | Northlake, TX | +117.9% | 12,036 | $565,600 | 34 mi to Dallas |
| 5 | Hardeeville, SC | +112% | 16,459 | $488,900 | 140 mi to Jacksonville |
| 6 | Melissa, TX | +109% | 29,969 | $454,000 | 36 mi to Dallas |
| 7 | Royse City, TX | +105.4% | 28,307 | $322,500 | 29 mi to Dallas |
| 8 | Anna, TX | +100.1% | 35,245 | $351,700 | 40 mi to Dallas |
| 9 | Waller, TX | +99% | 5,380 | $156,900 | 38 mi to Houston |
| 10 | Crandall, TX | +98.5% | 7,730 | $303,000 | 22 mi to Dallas |
| 11 | Wendell, NC | +96.9% | 19,687 | $330,500 | 16 mi to Raleigh |
| 12 | Paradise, CA | +96.9% | 10,023 | $416,000 | 82 mi to Sacramento |
| 13 | Venus, TX | +93.3% | 8,870 | $270,500 | 33 mi to Dallas |
| 14 | Pilot Point, TX | +82.2% | 8,052 | $292,500 | 43 mi to Dallas |
| 15 | Star, ID | +81.7% | 20,874 | $564,300 | 309 mi to Salt Lake City |
| 16 | Van Alstyne, TX | +79.6% | 8,012 | $342,700 | 45 mi to Dallas |
| 17 | Forney, TX | +75.7% | 41,658 | $346,400 | 19 mi to Dallas |
| 18 | Mabank, TX | +75.2% | 7,294 | $254,900 | 48 mi to Dallas |
| 19 | Aubrey, TX | +72% | 9,066 | $345,000 | 38 mi to Dallas |
| 20 | Tontitown, AR | +71.7% | 8,046 | $430,500 | 93 mi to Tulsa |
| 21 | Zebulon, NC | +69.6% | 11,933 | $320,700 | 18 mi to Raleigh |
| 22 | Loxley, AL | +68.9% | 6,131 | $398,500 | 138 mi to New Orleans |
| 23 | Springtown, TX | +68.4% | 5,204 | $261,300 | 54 mi to Dallas |
| 24 | Pea Ridge, AR | +68.3% | 11,233 | $297,500 | 102 mi to Tulsa |
| 25 | Manor, TX | +63.4% | 23,070 | $347,900 | 12 mi to Austin |
| 26 | Justin, TX | +61.7% | 7,285 | $406,800 | 37 mi to Dallas |
| 27 | McLendon-Chisholm, TX | +53.7% | 5,629 | $629,400 | 22 mi to Dallas |
| 28 | Harrisburg, SD | +52% | 10,405 | $312,200 | 154 mi to Omaha |
| 29 | Mansfield, CT | +49.5% | 29,062 | $335,400 | 23 mi to Hartford |
| 30 | Coolidge, AZ | +48.7% | 19,959 | $255,400 | 55 mi to Phoenix |
| 31 | Farmersville, TX | +48.4% | 5,531 | $289,400 | 35 mi to Dallas |
| 32 | Ridgefield, WA | +48.3% | 16,132 | $613,500 | 19 mi to Portland |
| 33 | Corcoran, MN | +48% | 9,269 | $569,400 | 18 mi to Minneapolis |
| 34 | Severance, CO | +47.8% | 11,841 | $528,500 | 51 mi to Denver |
| 35 | Rogersville, MO | +47.7% | 5,754 | $217,900 | 160 mi to Kansas City |
| 36 | Amherst, MA | +47.2% | 40,920 | $484,900 | 42 mi to Hartford |
| 37 | Mead, CO | +47% | 7,042 | $585,100 | 33 mi to Denver |
| 38 | Bennett, CO | +45.3% | 4,224 | $444,000 | 24 mi to Denver |
| 39 | Kaufman, TX | +45% | 10,717 | $221,800 | 30 mi to Dallas |
| 40 | Foley, AL | +44.7% | 30,354 | $289,300 | 137 mi to New Orleans |
| 41 | Aledo, TX | +44.2% | 7,122 | $465,100 | 49 mi to Dallas |
| 42 | Leesburg, FL | +43.3% | 38,905 | $228,600 | 39 mi to Orlando |
| 43 | Argyle, TX | +43% | 6,372 | $695,300 | 32 mi to Dallas |
| 44 | Charles, WV | +42.9% | 9,329 | $377,700 | 53 mi to Washington |
| 45 | Rathdrum, ID | +42.4% | 13,227 | $444,100 | 254 mi to Seattle |
| 46 | Tea, SD | +40.7% | 8,019 | $351,100 | 157 mi to Omaha |
| 47 | Dade City, FL | +40.7% | 10,173 | $240,800 | 32 mi to Tampa |
| 48 | Kiryas Joel, NY | +40.7% | 47,147 | $758,800 | 48 mi to New York |
| 49 | West Jefferson, OH | +40.3% | 5,827 | $192,100 | 17 mi to Columbus |
| 50 | Alvarado, TX | +40.3% | 7,539 | $249,000 | 37 mi to Dallas |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2025 population estimates; American Community Survey 2020-2024), Medicare hospital data, NOAA climate normals, the National Park Service and the Education Department, as on each town page. Census survey figures are estimates; towns where the survey is too thin for a figure are left off lists that use it. Miles are straight-line. Data last updated October 5, 2026.
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