1 million! Austin hits population milestone and becomes 12th largest city in U.S.

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The downtown Austin skyline is seen from the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge on March 15, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, Texas - New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Austin has hit a big population milestone.

What they're saying:

"This is a historic moment for Austin, and one that my predecessor Edwin Waller probably didn’t even think about when he surveyed the site that would eventually become our beloved city back in 1839," said Mayor Kirk Watson in a news release.

"There’s no denying now that Austin is a big city, and we have big challenges. But we also still have small town heart, and that’s part of what makes it the best place in the country to raise a family or to seek out new opportunities," Watson adds.

"Crossing the threshold of one million residents is an exciting milestone that underscores Austin’s role as the region’s principal city, but it’s not surprising," City Demographer Lila Valencia said in the same news release. "The latest estimates from the Census Bureau bear out what we have been seeing in our internal estimates since 2020."

By the numbers:

The U.S. Census Bureau reveals that in 2025, 1,002,632 called the "Live Music Capital of the World" home.

Officials say that number reflected a 4,025 increase in residents since July 1, 2024.

The 0.4% year-over-year growth helped push Austin into the 12th most populous city in the U.S. position.

Housing numbers

The U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates release also included housing unit estimates at the national, state, and county levels. The estimates indicate Travis County had the 7th greatest increase in housing stock among counties nationwide. 

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Travis County added 16,197 housing units, growing at a rate of 2.4%. 

During this time, counties in the Austin metro area added a total of 31,897 housing units. 51% of these units were added in Travis County, 24% in Williamson, 17% in Hays, 6% in Bastrop, and 2% in Caldwell County. 

Hays County ranked 9th among counties adding units at the highest rate. 

Austin’s city limits lie primarily within Travis County but also extend into Hays and Williamson Counties as well. 

Dig deeper:

Valencia says while the region saw a decline in international migration, the drop in Austin was not as steep as in some other cities. 

Migration from other parts of Texas and the rest of the country combined with stable natural increase, or the difference between births and deaths, to maintain steady growth in Austin, Travis County and the metro.

Valencia says job growth, which has outperformed expectations, and housing costs, which have fallen from their pandemic-era peaks, are two factors that help existing Austinites remain in the city while drawing in new residents.

Why you should care:

The newly released data helps determine how the federal government proportionately distributes billions of dollars in grants and program funding for social services, community development, and the construction of schools, roads and hospitals.  

The data also plays a central role in redrawing boundaries for representative districts for the U.S. Congress, Texas Legislature and Austin City Council.