Austin Area Population Surpasses Two Million

The City of Austin’s demographer Ryan Robinson says that the Austin, Texas metro area has reached a milestone: surpassing two million people, according to an article by Austin startup LawnStarter. The milestone likely was reached over the summer, as his October 1 population estimate reached 2,020,452 people. The article states that Steve Murdock, director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University in Houston and former director of the United States Census Bureau, concurs with the estimate.  

The Austin region’s population has grown 62 percent from April 2010 to October 2015, from a population of 1,249,763 in April 2000, to a population of 1,716,289 in April 2010, to the recent estimate. This makes Austin one of the fastest growing U.S. metro areas and puts it on par in size with Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Kansas City.

The population growth also means it has grown closer in size to its neighboring big city to the south, San Antonio, which is reported in the LawnStarter story to have reached 2,328,652 residents as of July 2014. A separate LawnStarter study found that the population of the Austin and San Antonio areas combined is expected to exceed 5.7 million in 2030, from 4.3 million last year.

Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio are Texas’ largest cities, followed by the Austin region.

Robinson states he would have expected the Austin area population growth to crest, but that it actually has accelerated. He reported to LawnStarter that the area continues to double its population every 20 years, and the area is “showing no signs whatsoever of slowing down anytime soon.”

The Urban Institute has the Austin area’s population reaching 2,232,481 in 2020 and 2,765,647 in 2030.

LawnStarter is an online lawncare booking service.