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Homes are under construction at The Homestead at Ownsby Farms development in Celina.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Four of the country\u2019s five fastest growing mid-size or large cities are in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro region, according to Census data released Thursday, suggesting North Texas\u2019 famous growth story<\/a> has recently remained on track even amid a broader national population growth slowdown and a dimming of Texas\u2019 long hot economy. \u00a0<\/p>\n Those four cities are all located in Collin County. Celina, which ranked as the country\u2019s fastest growing city by percent increase among cities with at least 20,000 people, is primarily located in far northwest Collin County but also stretches into Denton County. It was followed on the list by Princeton, Melissa and Anna, which ranked as the country\u2019s third, fourth and fifth fastest growing, respectively. \u00a0The newly released data measured American cities\u2019 population changes between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It was the second time in three years that Celina \u2014 a suburban city in the northern reaches of the metro whose population has more than tripled over the past half decade \u2014 ranked as the country\u2019s fastest growing. \u00a0The city added nearly 13,000 residents for a new population above 64,000, representing a nearly 25% increase compared to a year earlier. That population gain also ranked fourth nationally in numeric terms, behind only far larger cities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting. I think it shows the momentum that Celina has,\u201d said Ryan Tubbs, the city\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n Tubbs cited the city\u2019s strong schools, safety and location along the expanding Dallas North Tollway as factors behind the city\u2019s growth. He also said he wasn\u2019t surprised by the latest fastest-growing designation, and emphasized that years of rapid growth were bringing both opportunities, including new retail and economic development, as well challenges, including new demands on the local water infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPersonally, I try and have a positive outlook for it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we could control the growth that would be a different reality, so we just try and embrace the positives [and] work toward a better life for the residents that are here as well as the residents that are coming for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Even after years of growth, the city could still get much larger: Tubbs has previously said<\/a> a full buildout would put Celina\u2019s population at around 350,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an email to The News, Bridget Saxton, a representative for the city of Melissa, also said the city was not surprised to rank among the country’s fastest growing. “People are choosing Melissa because of the quality of life, strong schools, and the sense of community that still exists here,” she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fort Worth also recorded a major growth spurt. Tarrant County\u2019s largest city added around 19,500 residents during the time period, which ranked second among all U.S. cities by numeric gain. With the additional residents Fort Worth\u00a0\u2014 a city whose economy has also lately been booming, thanks in part to a burgeoning film industry\u00a0\u2014 registered a population of around 1.028 million, ranking it the fourth most populous city in Texas and 10th most populous in the country, narrowly ahead of Jacksonville and Austin. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n