Sunday, February 2, 2014

Discovering the Bounty of Population Patterns


Texas had eight of the 15 fastest growing large U.S. cities and towns according to the latest census data released in 2013. Texas also stood out in terms of the size of population growth with five of the ten cities that added the most people over the year.

Large population centers like Houston, San Antonio and Dallas still account for over 75% of the Texas population; however, the fastest growth is coming from municipalities from the High Plains of West Texas along the I-35 corridor with San Marcos leading with the highest growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people.

The Texas Comptroller reports that Texas’ growth of 12.7% nearly doubles the national growth of 6.4%. Part of Texas’ high growth rate is due to a boom in oil and gas. Another large driver behind the growth patterns in Texas is the strong growth in the health care industry which has recently created over 300,000 jobs.

Traditionally, these population patterns are a leading indicator in large infrastructure investments. With migration to urban centers you will typically see a boom in housing starts followed by infrastructure projects like schools, roads and sanitation projects.


By looking at the 2010 census map below you can see where this growth is likely to occur. The mantra in real estate is “location, location, location”, and the same is true for being well positioned for business growth. 

Texas has been handed not only an energy windfall in the form of new fracking technology but also a population boom which will have a long-term economic impact. Being well-placed to take advantage of this will have a material impact on your business’s growth.

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