Dallas-Fort Worth leads the nation in population growth in 2021

Collin County had the second-highest population growth of any U.S. county in 2021, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why is this important: Texas led population growth at the county and metro levels.

• The state had five counties in the top 10 by gross population growth and four of the 10 fastest growing metropolitan areas, including Dallas.

Details: Census data tracked internal migration and overall population growth.

• Dallas-Fort Worth ranked first in the nation for overall population growth in a metropolitan area with 97,290 people added between July 2020 and July 2021.

Enlarge: Collin County ranked third in internal migration between 2020 and 2021, behind Maricopa County in Arizona and Riverside County in California.

• Denton County ranked sixth nationally in overall population growth last year. Fort Bend, Williamson and Montgomery counties rounded out the Texas counties that placed in the top 10.

What they say : US micro-regions grew slightly faster than large metropolitan areas. “This is a departure from past trends when metropolitan areas generally grew at a faster rate than micro-areas,” the report said.

The plot: Los Angeles and New York counties have both lost more than 100,000 people to internal migration, suggesting people are moving away from coastal city centers.

• The Chicago metro area lost almost as many people as the Dallas area added.

And after: North Texas is expected to overtake the Chicago area to become the third most populous metropolitan area by the 2030s.