The Lone Star State continues to grow in areas where natural disasters pose serious risks. A new ranking puts three Texas counties among the nation’s top 10 fastest-growing, despite racing an elevated disaster risk.

RealtyHomes, an online real estate platform, recently analyzed Census population and housing estimates alongside scores from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Risk Index. 

Looking at U.S. counties with at least 100,000 residents as of July 1, 2025, with an overall FEMA risk rating of “relatively high” or “very high”, the company compiled a list of the 25 fastest-growing U.S. counties with elevated natural disaster risk. Three Texas counties ranked in the top 10, including two in the Houston area—one of which ranked in the top three.

Montgomery County, located north of Houston, ranked No. 2 among the fastest-growing, high-risk counties in America. The county grew by approximately 24.9 percent between 2020 and 2025. The county also added nearly 68,800 housing units during that timeframe.

Following Montgomery County was Collin County at No. 5. Collin County, located north of Dallas, grew by about 20.6 percent between the same five-year period.

“Collin County, Texas, stands out for the scale of its growth, adding more than 221,000 residents and reaching nearly 1.3 million people in 2025,” RealtyHomes wrote in its report.

Rounding out the top 10 was Fort Bend County, located southwest of Houston. Fort Bend ranked ninth with an approximate growth rate of 17.4 percent between 2020 and 2025.

Only one other Texas county claimed a spot among the top 25: Denton. Located in the northern portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, Denton claimed spot No. 11 with an estimated growth rate of 16.9 percent.

None of the 17 large U.S. counties FEMA considers at very high risk for disasters ranked among the nation’s 25 fastest-growing counties.

However, across the U.S., the fastest-growing county that FEMA ranks as very high-risk is also in Texas: Harris County. Harris County had a 6.6 percent growth rate between 2020 and 2025.

A fast-growing county southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, claimed the No. 1 spot overall: Brunswick County. The county had a 26.5 percent growth rate between 2020 and 2025.