Ten of the top 25 fastest growing counties in the country between July 2007 and July 2008 are in Texas, according to a Capital Area Council of Governments analysis of the most-recent U.S. Census report.

That’s more than any other state, with California registering six of the top 25 and Arizona and North Carolina each capturing two.

Texas counties among the top 25 include:

• Harris, No. 2
• Tarrant, No. 5
• Bexar, No. 10
• Collin, No. 12
• Dallas, No. 13
• Travis, No. 14
• Fort Bend, No. 18
• Denton, No. 21
• Williamson, No. 23
• Hidalgo, No. 24

Central Texas counties experienced considerable population increases over the period—emphasizing the need for a continued focus on managed growth, CAPCOG officials said.

The numerical and percentage growth break down among counties in CAPCOG’s service area is as follows:

• Bastrop: 1,364, 1.9 percent
• Blanco: 81, 0.9 percent
• Burnet: 901, 2.1 percent
• Caldwell: 299, 0.8 percent
• Fayette: 241, 1.1 percent
• Hays: 7,526, 5.3 percent
• Lee: 115, 0.7 percent
• Llano: 58, 0.3 percent
• Travis: 28,651, 3 percent
• Williamson: 22,172, 6.0 percent

“These latest figures from the Census Bureau underscore the fact that we can’t stop talking about how to manage growth effectively, even during a recession,” said Brian Kelsey, director of community and economic development for CAPCOG. “The number of people relocating to the Austin-Round Rock region has likely slowed as a result of the recession, but we need to appreciate that Hays, Travis, and Williamson alone added nearly 60,000 people between July 2007 and July 2008, according to these latest figures. For some perspective, that’s more people than the entire city of Cedar Park.”

Source:  Austin Business Journal