EMBARGOED UNTIL: 10 A.M. EDT, NOVEMBER 18, 1997 (TUESDAY) Public Information Office CB97-185 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Gregory Harper 301-457-2441 Henderson, Nev. Is Nation's Fastest Growing Large City, Census Bureau Says Between 1990 and 1996, Henderson, Nev.'s population grew by 88.4 percent, making it the fastest growing U.S. city with more than 100,000 people in 1996, according to new population estimates released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. These new estimates provide population totals for the nation's more than 36,000 cities, towns and places. "Henderson's 1996 population was 122,339, up by over 57,000 since 1990," said Greg Harper, a Census Bureau statistician. "All 10 of the country's fastest growing cities with populations of at least 100,000 in 1996 were in the West or South. Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Texas were each represented by two of the 10 fastest growing cities," Harper added. 10 Fastest Growing U. S. Cities with 1996 Populations Over 100,000: 1990-1996 Rank City Percent Change Population 1990 to 1996 1996 1990 1 Henderson, Nev. 88.4 122,339 64,948 2 Chandler, Ariz. 59.0 142,918 89,862 3 Pembroke Pines, Fla. 53.5 100,662 65,566 4 Palmdale, Calif. 51.6 106,540 70,262 5 Plano, Texas 50.4 192,280 127,885 6 Las Vegas, Nev. 46.0 376,906 258,204 7 Scottsdale, Ariz. 37.6 179,012 130,075 8 Laredo, Texas 34.2 164,899 122,899 9 Coral Springs, Fla. 33.5 105,275 78,864 10 Corona, Calif. 32.0 100,208 75,943 There were 219 cities with populations of more than 100,000 in July 1996, an increase of 20 from April 1990. Sixty of the 219 largest cities (27 percent) lost population since 1990. Ten cities had populations of more than 1 million in 1996. Both Phoenix, Ariz. and San Antonio, Texas reached the 1 million mark during the April 1990 to July 1996 period. By 1996, Phoenix had become the seventh most populous city, climbing from ninth in 1990. San Antonio, in the meantime, rose from 10th to eighth place. Detroit, which was ranked seventh in 1990, fell to 10th in 1996, while Dallas dropped from eighth to ninth. New York, the nation's largest city, grew by about 58,000 from 1990 to 1996 (0.8 percent), while Los Angeles, despite losing population earlier in the decade, grew by more than 68,000 (2.0 percent). Ten Most Populous U.S. Cities in 1996 and Change Between 1990 and 1996 Rank City Population Change: 1990-1996 in1996 Number/percent 1 New York, N.Y. 7,380,906 58,342 0.8 2 Los Angeles, CA 3,553,638 68,081 2.0 3 Chicago, Ill. 2,721,547 -62,179 -2.2 4 Houston, Texas 1,744,058 106,199 6.5 5 Philadelphia, Pa. 1,478,002 -107,575 -6.8 6 San Diego, Calif. 1,171,121 60,498 5.4 7 Phoenix, Ariz. 1,159,014 174,704 17.7 8 San Antonio, Texas 1,067,816 108,521 11.3 9 Dallas, Texas 1,053,292 45,674 4.5 10 Detroit, Mich. 1,000,272 -27,702 -2.7-X-The Census Bureau pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In more than 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
