Census Bureau: Texas Cities Lead Nation in Population Growth

The Lone Star State is growing by extraordinary leaps and bounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Estimates released by the agency on Thursday reveal that eight of the 15 fastest-growing large U.S. cities and towns are in Texas: San Marcos, Midland, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Conroe, McKinney, Frisco, and Odessa.

The other seven are: South Jordan, Utah; Clarksville, Tenn.; Alpharetta, Ga.; Irvine, Calif.; Buckeye, Ariz.; Auburn, Ala.; and Manhattan, Kan.

Of the cities with the largest numeric growth during the survey period — July 2011 to July 2012 —  New York, the nation's largest city, topped the list, adding 67,058 people for a total of 8.3 million residents.

Houston added 34,625, growing to 2.1 million; Los Angeles, 34,483, to 3.8 million; San Antonio, 25,400, to 1.3 million; and Austin, 23,395, to 842,000.