The short-lived glory of being a top-10 city has passed. Austin broke onto the list of the top 10 largest American cities last year, but has now been edged out by Jacksonville, Florida, and pushed back to the 11th position once again. Though Austin’s population did grow, its population is 979,882 people, compared to Jacksonville’s 985,843 people. “For decades, the red-hot regional economy coupled with a relatively lower cost of living yielded substantial population growth in Central Texas,” city demographer Lila Valencia said in a statement to the press. “However, with volatility rattling the tech sector, housing costs rising post-pandemic, and more opportunities for remote work, it’s not surprising to see population growth slowing and Austin slipping back into position as the 11th largest city.” According to a press release from the city about the news, “Austin’s growth rate during that period – 0.42 percent – was just shy of the national growth rate of 0.5 percent. However, it was in line with population growth trends among large cities since the pandemic.”
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano