Financial technology company SmartAsset<\/a> recently ranked Round Rock 17th out of 254 cities in the U.S. in a study<\/a> based on relative popularity among millennials\u2014a byproduct, officials say, of work the city and developers have done to make Round Rock more attractive.<\/p>\n Residents, business leaders and city officials point to several factors driving the recent wave of newcomers, including the city\u2019s proximity to Austin, school system, job opportunities, park amenities and affordability.<\/p>\n Realtor Robert Fischer said more homebuyers in the area are looking for a place where they can find community and access activities that a city like Austin can provide. He said Round Rock is \u201can entry point into Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole lifestyle part is, \u2018We can have Austin, but we can also have all the parks and outdoor living, and just a little bit more community [in Round Rock],\u2019\u201d Fischer said. \u201cI think people are kind of connecting more on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Brad Dushkin, Round Rock Planning and Development Services<\/a> director, said the surge of new residents hasn\u2019t necessarily influenced long-term planning, but fits with what the city already envisioned.<\/p>\n The growth has created more business opportunities, which the Round Rock Chamber<\/a> is working to cultivate<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a growing community of entrepreneurs that are kind of clustering around here and supporting each other,\u201d said Jordan Robinson, Round Rock Chamber president and CEO.<\/p>\n New residents can bring new challenges, though, as locals have seen increased traffic in certain areas of the city.<\/p>\n In recent years, Dushkin said the city has focused on facilitating the construction of \u201cmissing middle housing,\u201d or housing considered a transition between apartments and single-family homes.<\/p>\n Dushkin said the department\u2019s goal within the Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan<\/a> is to enable a mixture of housing types<\/a> \u201cso that we can accommodate anybody who wants to live here at any kind of price point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo being able to work with the development community to help them build those types of housing really provides the opportunities for lots of people to move here and have a variety of choices in their housing,\u201d Dushkin said.<\/p>\n Round Rock housing units in development, as of April, include:<\/p>\n Single-family\/single-family attached: 2,393Townhomes: 681Senior multifamily: 195Multifamily: 1,887High-density multifamily: 2,359Total: 7,515Diving deeper<\/p>\n Colby Lawler, 32, and his family moved from Southeast Texas to Round Rock last July in search of a more active community.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s more job opportunities, more life opportunities, and more opportunities to interact with nature and other people of like-minded hobbies,\u201d Lawler said.<\/p>\n Along with major parks improvements underway, Dushkin said city staff have been working to create more walkable spaces that offer an \u201curban feel,\u201d such as the estimated $525 million mixed-use project known as The District.<\/p>\n The combination of outdoor recreation and amenities, along with plans for more pedestrian-friendly areas, is a contributing factor for many millennials, said local Realtor Michele Sherwood.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a better housing value than being in big city Austin,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a really high quality of life here and I feel like more millennials are moving to a raise-kids lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n For new residents from out of state, like Rose Smith who moved from New York to Round Rock in 2020, the housing affordability and cost of living was a driving factor in the decision to relocate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just seemed like the time was right,\u201d she said. \u201cTexas still wasn\u2019t at the point where all the prices started inflating. … I said, \u2018I could buy a house and I could live like a normal human being.\u2019 The rates of everything were so much more affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n Round Rock resident Jessica Langston had several reasons to move from Austin to Round Rock about 10 years ago. She feels the community is safer, thinks highly of the school system, and she works in Round Rock.<\/p>\n While she enjoys being able to get on major roadways, such as MoPac, US 183 and I-35, she suspects she\u2019ll become \u201cmore and more annoyed\u201d with the impact a growing number of residents will have on traffic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s mostly the traffic that can really \u2018get you\u2019 around here,\u201d Langston said.<\/p>\n Many of Round Rock\u2019s arterial roads are getting busier, according to city traffic counts. For instance, the average daily traffic count on University Boulevard, between I-35 and Oakmont Drive, increased by 52% from 2016-2025. A little farther south on Hwy. 79, between Joe Dimaggio Boulevard and Harrell Parkway, traffic increased by 38% during the same time period.<\/p>\n Round Rock is expected to continue growing, with projections indicating the population of all ages could reach 160,000 by 2030. This is expected to contribute to greater sales tax revenue for the city, which means more funds for city services, such as police, fire and road projects as Round Rock has about $200 million in construction underway.<\/p>\n![\"chart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777921869_435_thumbnail.jpeg\")
How we got here<\/p>\n![\"chart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777921870_797_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Measuring the impact<\/p>\n![\"chart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777921871_925_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Going forward<\/p>\n