Texas economy credited for cities' population boom NEW HEAD COUNT BY THE CENSUS

Texas cities on top in population growth

As the Lone Star State's economy keeps growing, four metropolitan areas, including Houston, see a boom of their own

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The Houston metropolitan area ranked fourth in the nation for overall population growth between 2006 and 2007, according to new census data — an increase demographers attributed largely to the region's economy.

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area attracted slightly more than 120,500 new residents from July 2006 through July 2007, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today for geographic regions known as metropolitan statistical areas.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area ranked No. 1 in the nation in terms of raw population growth, and Austin-Round Rock and San Antonio also made the top 10. Karl Eschbach, director of the Texas State Data Center in San Antonio, said the job market and economy are driving the state's population growth.

"It's the combination of international and domestic migration that's pushing Texas cities to the top," Eschbach said.

New Orleans showed the first signs of recovery in the population estimates, though Eschbach warned that does not necessarily herald a "rapid recovery." After reporting record-setting population losses after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the New Orleans metropolitan area had an estimated population increase of about 39,885 from summer 2006 through 2007, making it the eighth-fastest-growing in the nation.

"The most important thing about the data for the New Orleans area is how modest the population gains have been, given the magnitude of the losses there," Eschbach said. "It's not cause for excitement."

Barton Smith, a University of Houston economist, said about two-thirds of Houston growth is from migration, surpassing additions from the birth rate.

"That only happens when the economy is doing substantially better than other places," Smith said. "Houston's economy is going to continue to outperform the national economy in a significant way, so when unemployment starts to creep up in other parts of the country, many people are going to leave Michigan and Ohio and Florida and look for jobs in Texas."

The Dallas-Fort Worth region increased by 162,250, followed by the Atlanta (151,063) and Phoenix (132,513) areas. Austin-Round Rock was the nation's fifth-fastest-growing metro area, at 4.3 percent, as well as the eighth-largest overall population gainer, at 65,880, according to the census.

The government tabulates the estimates to provide consistent federal data of geographic areas.

susan.carroll@chron.com