You don’t need me to tell you that Austin is getting bigger. You probably see it every day when you’re walking, biking or driving around town. But how fast is that growth really happening? On May 23 the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2016-17 population estimates. According to those numbers, the city of Austin added 12,515 people last year. That’s the 12th-largest overall population increase in the country, and it’s the equivalent of 34 new residents per day. It’s a 1.3 percent increase from the 2016 population, and increases Austin’s estimated population to 950,715—as the city continues creeping toward the 1 million mark. Expand the lens to the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area, and the rate of growth is even higher than the city’s. The metro area grew by 2.7 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released in March, the fastest-growing area in the state. So it’s not just Austin that’s growing exponentially. It’s also our neighbors in cities such as Pflugerville, Cedar Park and Georgetown.