Harris County’s eight-year run as the nation’s fastest-growing county has ended, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on March 23. Maricopa County in Arizona, which is home to Phoenix, has taken its place as the county with the highest annual population growth.
Between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, Harris County—now the second fastest-growing county in the U.S.—gained 56,587 people, an average of 155 people per day. Most of the growth took place in unincorporated areas, which include Spring and Klein, county officials said.
Nearly 28,000 residents migrated to Harris County from outside of the U.S. over this time. Meanwhile, the natural increase—total births minus total deaths—accounted for a population increase of roughly 46,000.
The Harris County Budget Department released its annual population report in late February, showing unincorporated parts of the county now contain 43 percent of the population. More than 80 percent of the county’s growth since 2001 has taken place in unincorporated areas, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said.
