Major US Cities see Rise in Population
See our new Maps project, showing U.S. population growth from 1980 to 2008.
According to a Washington Times article, Census demographer Greg Harper said New York's increase was due to immigration and natural increases, including higher birth rates.
New Orleans saw the largest one-year increase with its population growing by 8.4 percent. After losing more than half of its residents after Hurricane Katrina, the city's population has grown by more than 100,000 people since the storm.
From 2007 to 2008, eight of the 11 fastest growing cities with more than 100,000 people were in states along the Southern border (Texas 5, California 2, Arizona 1). Five of the six U.S. cities seeing the largest numerical increase in population are also in states along the Southern border (Phoenix, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Ft. Worth).
For more information, see the U.S. Census bureau.