What is a census?

A census is when a government documents information about a particular population.

The South continues to dominate the list of fastest-growing cities in the U.S., according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Thirteen of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are in the South, the Census reports, with eight of them in Texas alone. But the Midwest also saw a big milestone with the latest data – With 633, 218 residents, the population of Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, grew by 1,852 people in 2023 after seeing an exodus since the ‘50s. 

"It's a great day. It's a day we've been waiting for for 10 years," Mayor Mike Duggan told The Associated Press. "The city of Detroit has joined the communities in America that are growing in population according to the Census Bureau. For our national brand, it was critically important for the Census Bureau to certify us as growing."

RELATED: America's population is older than it's ever been, Census says

Fastest-growing cities in the U.S. 

Here are the U.S. cities that saw the biggest growth spurt in 2023, according to the Census: 

17d9fd55-

Tourists enjoy a River Walk boat cruise along the San Antonio River, in downtown San Antonio Texas, on January 23, 2023. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

  • San Antonio, Texas – added about 22,000 residents, population 1.5 million
  • Fort Worth, Texas – added more than 21,000 residents, population 978,000
  • Charlotte, N.C. – added more than 15,500 residents, population 911,000
  • Jacksonville, Fla. – added 14,000 residents, population 986,000
  • Port St. Lucie, Fla. – added over 13,000 residents, population 245,000
  • Atlanta, Ga. – added 12,000 residents, population 511,000
  • Houston, Texas – added over 11,500 residents, population 2.3 million
  • Georgetown, Texas – added over 9,000 residents, population 96,000
  • Celina, Texas – added over 9,000 residents, population 43,000
  • Raleigh, N.C. – added nearly 9,000 residents, population 482,000

    • Largest cities in the U.S.

    Three of the largest cities in the U.S. that had been bleeding residents this decade staunched those departures somewhat. New York City, which has lost almost 550,000 residents this decade so far, saw a drop of only 77,000 residents last year, about three-fifths the numbers from the previous year.

    Los Angeles lost only 1,800 people last year, following a decline in the 2020s of almost 78,000 residents. Chicago, which has lost almost 82,000 people this decade, only had a population drop of 8,200 residents last year.

    And San Francisco, which has lost a greater share of residents this decade than any other big city — almost 7.5% — actually grew by more than 1,200 residents last year.

    Here are the 15 largest cities in America, according to the most recent Census data: 

  • New York City – 8.3 million residents
  • Los Angeles – nearly 4 million residents
  • Chicago – 2.7 million residents
  • Houston – 2.3 million residents
  • Phoenix – 1.7 million residents
  • Philadelphia – 1.6 million residents
  • San Antonio – 1.5 million residents
  • San Diego – 1.4 million residents
  • Dallas – 1.3 million residents
  • Jacksonville – 986,000 residents
  • Austin – 980,000 residents
  • Fort Worth – 978,000 residents
  • San Jose, Calif. – 970,000 residents
  • Columbus, Ohio – 913,000 residents
  • Charlotte – 911,000 residents

    • The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

    ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7vXbGmcoJmYrqi7jZympmeemsS0e9SsZJydnqjCtHnFmqqtnaOpeqi%2BzrCgp59dmLa1tcSsZGtoYmh6c3yRbQ%3D%3D