Texas: Housing Juggernaut
Despite all the obvious turmoil in the industry in recent years, new housing construction is soldiering on in the U.S. And according to new estimates out from the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas is still kicking every other state's housing-related butts.
Between April 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011, the U.S. saw an estimated increase of about 607,000 housing units. At the state level, Texas added more than 121,000 housing units, three times as many as its closest competitor, California, and about 20 percent of the total. Only two states saw their housing units go down: Michigan by 6,752 and West Virginia by 170.
Of the 100 counties with the highest rate of growth in new housing, fully one-fifth are in Texas.
In terms of raw numbers, the top five biggest gainers are all in Texas. Fort Bend County leads that pack, with 11,665 new homes added, bringing its total to an estimated 208,696. That's a growth rate of 5.9 percent for this county to the southwest of Houston, the second highest rate.
The population has been skyrocketing in Fort Bend since the 1970s. Its 2010 population was 585,375 according to the U.S. Census, up from a 2000 population of 384,452 and a 1970 population of 52,314. So it should be no surprise that as part of greater Houston, Fort Bend County was part of the fastest growing metro area in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010.
Many but not most of the other counties on this list are like Fort Bend County, in that they're on the outskirts of large or semi-large cities, including Little Rock, Savannah, Austin, Anchorage, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Des Moines, Washington D.C., Indianapolis and Omaha.
Only one of the counties in this top 100 list lies inside a major city: Orleans Parish, also known as the city of New Orleans. The city saw its housing stock grow by 4,242 units in this year-and-three-month period, to a total of 194,138.
|
County |
Units on April 1, 2010 |
Units on July 1, 2011 |
Amount of change |
Rate of change |
|
|
1 |
Long County, GA |
6,030 |
6,412 |
382 |
6.3 |
|
2 |
Fort Bend County, TX |
197,031 |
208,696 |
11,665 |
5.9 |
|
3 |
Sumter County, FL |
53,026 |
55,988 |
2,962 |
5.6 |
|
4 |
Rockwall County, TX |
27,939 |
29,306 |
1,367 |
4.9 |
|
5 |
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK |
41,329 |
43,242 |
1,913 |
4.6 |
|
6 |
Taney County, MO |
29,255 |
30,605 |
1,350 |
4.6 |
|
7 |
Madison County, MT |
6,940 |
7,253 |
313 |
4.5 |
|
8 |
Lincoln County, SD |
17,875 |
18,665 |
790 |
4.4 |
|
9 |
McIntosh County, GA |
9,220 |
9,615 |
395 |
4.3 |
|
10 |
Lamar County, MS |
24,070 |
25,083 |
1,013 |
4.2 |
|
11 |
Campbell County, WY |
18,955 |
19,743 |
788 |
4.2 |
|
12 |
Telfair County, GA |
7,297 |
7,597 |
300 |
4.1 |
|
13 |
Hays County, TX |
59,416 |
61,821 |
2,405 |
4.0 |
|
14 |
White County, GA |
16,062 |
16,685 |
623 |
3.9 |
|
15 |
Dooly County, GA |
6,328 |
6,573 |
245 |
3.9 |
|
16 |
Hancock County, MS |
21,840 |
22,658 |
818 |
3.7 |
|
17 |
Faulkner County, AR |
46,612 |
48,325 |
1,713 |
3.7 |
|
18 |
Wilson County, TX |
16,765 |
17,377 |
612 |
3.7 |
|
19 |
Guadalupe County, TX |
50,015 |
51,815 |
1,800 |
3.6 |
|
20 |
Hoke County, NC |
18,211 |
18,858 |
647 |
3.6 |
|
21 |
Williamson County, TX |
162,773 |
168,515 |
5,742 |
3.5 |
|
22 |
Columbia County, GA |
48,626 |
50,331 |
1,705 |
3.5 |
|
23 |
Blanco County, TX |
5,532 |
5,725 |
193 |
3.5 |
|
24 |
Parker County, TX |
46,628 |
48,241 |
1,613 |
3.5 |
|
25 |
Sevier County, TN |
55,917 |
57,804 |
1,887 |
3.4 |
|
26 |
Sublette County, WY |
5,770 |
5,963 |
193 |
3.3 |
|
27 |
Summit County, UT |
26,544 |
27,407 |
863 |
3.3 |
|
28 |
Nye County, NV |
22,350 |
23,068 |
718 |
3.2 |
|
29 |
Onslow County, NC |
68,226 |
70,366 |
2,140 |
3.1 |
|
30 |
Denton County, TX |
256,139 |
264,071 |
7,932 |
3.1 |
|
31 |
Harrison County, MS |
85,181 |
87,773 |
2,592 |
3.0 |
|
32 |
Limestone County, AL |
34,977 |
36,019 |
1,042 |
3.0 |
|
33 |
Hood County, TX |
24,951 |
25,694 |
743 |
3.0 |
|
34 |
Fredericksburg city, VA |
10,467 |
10,777 |
310 |
3.0 |
|
35 |
Dallas County, IA |
27,260 |
28,065 |
805 |
3.0 |
|
36 |
Franklin County, WA |
24,423 |
25,120 |
697 |
2.9 |
|
37 |
Livingston Parish, LA |
50,195 |
51,607 |
1,412 |
2.8 |
|
38 |
Kane County, UT |
5,815 |
5,978 |
163 |
2.8 |
|
39 |
Sweetwater County, WY |
18,735 |
19,258 |
523 |
2.8 |
|
40 |
Sequatchie County, TN |
6,368 |
6,545 |
177 |
2.8 |
|
41 |
Montgomery County, TX |
177,650 |
182,513 |
4,863 |
2.7 |
|
42 |
San Juan County, WA |
13,313 |
13,671 |
358 |
2.7 |
|
43 |
Duchesne County, UT |
9,493 |
9,745 |
252 |
2.7 |
|
44 |
Scott County, KY |
19,303 |
19,813 |
510 |
2.6 |
|
45 |
Bell County, TX |
125,470 |
128,777 |
3,307 |
2.6 |
|
46 |
Kaufman County, TX |
38,323 |
39,320 |
997 |
2.6 |
|
47 |
Sanders County, MT |
6,678 |
6,850 |
172 |
2.6 |
|
48 |
Brookings County, SD |
13,137 |
13,472 |
335 |
2.6 |
|
49 |
Stone County, MS |
7,161 |
7,343 |
182 |
2.5 |
|
50 |
Harrisonburg city, VA |
17,444 |
17,887 |
443 |
2.5 |
|
51 |
Dorchester County, SC |
55,186 |
56,576 |
1,390 |
2.5 |
|
52 |
Loudoun County, VA |
109,442 |
112,189 |
2,747 |
2.5 |
|
53 |
Flathead County, MT |
46,963 |
48,141 |
1,178 |
2.5 |
|
54 |
Hamilton County, IN |
106,772 |
109,440 |
2,668 |
2.5 |
|
55 |
Sanpete County, UT |
10,379 |
10,637 |
258 |
2.5 |
|
56 |
Berkeley County, SC |
73,372 |
75,194 |
1,822 |
2.5 |
|
57 |
Watauga County, NC |
32,137 |
32,932 |
795 |
2.5 |
|
58 |
Kendall County, IL |
40,321 |
41,308 |
987 |
2.4 |
|
59 |
Bonner County, ID |
24,669 |
25,269 |
600 |
2.4 |
|
60 |
Williams County, ND |
10,464 |
10,717 |
253 |
2.4 |
|
61 |
Lyon County, NV |
22,547 |
23,090 |
543 |
2.4 |
|
62 |
Lincoln County, MO |
21,011 |
21,513 |
502 |
2.4 |
|
63 |
Cass County, ND |
67,938 |
69,560 |
1,622 |
2.4 |
|
64 |
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK |
30,578 |
31,308 |
730 |
2.4 |
|
65 |
Camden County, GA |
21,114 |
21,616 |
502 |
2.4 |
|
66 |
Pulaski County, GA |
5,147 |
5,269 |
122 |
2.4 |
|
67 |
Austin County, TX |
12,928 |
13,233 |
305 |
2.4 |
|
68 |
Logan County, OK |
17,195 |
17,598 |
403 |
2.3 |
|
69 |
Ascension Parish, LA |
40,757 |
41,702 |
945 |
2.3 |
|
70 |
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK |
41,783 |
42,740 |
957 |
2.3 |
|
71 |
Chambers County, TX |
13,291 |
13,593 |
302 |
2.3 |
|
72 |
Fayette County, TX |
13,868 |
14,183 |
315 |
2.3 |
|
73 |
Lancaster County, SC |
32,687 |
33,429 |
742 |
2.3 |
|
74 |
Gillespie County, TX |
12,780 |
13,070 |
290 |
2.3 |
|
75 |
Sarpy County, NE |
61,938 |
63,343 |
1,405 |
2.3 |
|
76 |
Lafayette County, MS |
22,730 |
23,242 |
512 |
2.3 |
|
77 |
Orleans Parish, LA |
189,896 |
194,138 |
4,242 |
2.2 |
|
78 |
York County, SC |
94,196 |
96,281 |
2,085 |
2.2 |
|
79 |
Geary County, KS |
14,517 |
14,837 |
320 |
2.2 |
|
80 |
Lincoln County, MT |
11,413 |
11,663 |
250 |
2.2 |
|
81 |
Benton County, AR |
93,084 |
95,116 |
2,032 |
2.2 |
|
82 |
Liberty County, GA |
26,740 |
27,323 |
583 |
2.2 |
|
83 |
Montgomery County, TN |
70,099 |
71,622 |
1,523 |
2.2 |
|
84 |
Riley County, KS |
28,212 |
28,820 |
608 |
2.2 |
|
85 |
Lexington County, SC |
113,958 |
116,403 |
2,445 |
2.1 |
|
86 |
Collin County, TX |
300,960 |
307,353 |
6,393 |
2.1 |
|
87 |
Jefferson County, MT |
5,055 |
5,162 |
107 |
2.1 |
|
88 |
Brown County, IN |
8,285 |
8,460 |
175 |
2.1 |
|
89 |
Brantley County, GA |
8,085 |
8,252 |
167 |
2.1 |
|
90 |
Saline County, AR |
44,812 |
45,737 |
925 |
2.1 |
|
91 |
Bossier Parish, LA |
49,351 |
50,369 |
1,018 |
2.1 |
|
92 |
Pinal County, AZ |
159,222 |
162,504 |
3,282 |
2.1 |
|
93 |
Valley County, ID |
11,788 |
12,028 |
240 |
2.0 |
|
94 |
Cumberland County, TN |
28,151 |
28,721 |
570 |
2.0 |
|
95 |
Duplin County, NC |
25,728 |
26,248 |
520 |
2.0 |
|
96 |
Madison County, AL |
146,447 |
149,385 |
2,938 |
2.0 |
|
97 |
Bastrop County, TX |
29,315 |
29,895 |
580 |
2.0 |
|
98 |
Canadian County, OK |
45,810 |
46,715 |
905 |
2.0 |
|
99 |
Maverick County, TX |
17,462 |
17,802 |
340 |
1.9 |
|
100 |
Comanche County, OK |
50,739 |
51,726 |
987 |
1.9 |
Top image: SoleilC/Shutterstock.com
Nate Berg is a freelance reporter and a former staff writer for The Atlantic Cities. He lives in Los Angeles. All posts »
