On the flip side, the Dallas area grew by more
than 97,000 residents, Phoenix jumped by more
78,000 people and greater Houston added
69,000 residents, including Giusti. In the Phoenix
metropolitan area, growth was driven by moves
from elsewhere in the U.S., while it was propelled
by a combination of migration and births
outpacing deaths in Dallas and Houston.
“Texas has a thing about it, a romantic thing,
with cowboys, and there’s the idea here of the
Lone Star State,” said Giusti in describing the
lure of Texas.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2021 estimates
also showed micro areas — defined as having a
core city of less than 50,000 residents — gaining
population from mid-2020 to mid-2021, after
years of slow growth or declining population. The
small population gains were driven by people
moving there, as deaths continued to outpace
births in many of these communities. Growth
in micro areas was led by Kalispell, Montana;
Jefferson, Georgia; and Bozeman, Montana.
Demographer William Frey said he believes
the growth of micro areas and decreases in the
biggest metros will be temporary, taking place at
the height of people moving during the pandemic
when work-from-home arrangements freed up
workers from having to go to their offices.
“There is clearly a dispersion, but I think it’s a
blip,” said Frey, senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution’s metropolitan policy program,
Brookings Metro. “We’re at one of the lowest
levels of immigration in a long, long time, and
that affects big metros like New York, Los Angeles
and Chicago. That is going to come back. With the
natural decrease, we will go back to normal.”