KENT, Wash. — The U.S. Census Bureau released the results from its 2020 survey, and the data shows that Kent, Washington, is among the 10 fastest-growing cities in the country with a population of at least 50,000 people.
The news came as census officials revealed that many of the country's less densely populated areas lost residents throughout the last decade, with more metropolitan areas growing in size compared to the previous two decades.
Despite the country's population growth slowing overall, the bureau’s latest data on Kent showed the city saw at least 44% of growth over the last 10 years.
The 2010 census showed Kent, part of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area, had 92,411 residents. By 2020, that number was estimated to have grown to more than 136,000.
Other cities in the top 10 are also parts of major metropolitan areas across the country.
Irvine, California (a suburb of Los Angeles), Conroe, Texas (a suburb of Houston), and Meridian, Idaho (a suburb of Boise City), were also on the list.
Buckeye, Arizona, near Phoenix, was the fastest growing city over the last 10 years, with a more than 80% rise in population.
Nationally, the census data revealed the country is becoming more diverse, with the white population growing older and shrinking overall.
“The U.S. population is much more multiracial and much more racially and ethnically diverse than what we have measured in the past," said Nicholas Jones, a Census Bureau official.
Perhaps the most significant impact of the data is how it informs redistricting at the state level and federal representation for areas across the country.