What do Houston, Oklahoma City, Scottsdale and Portland all have in common?
They're among the fastest-growing big cities in the country, according to estimates released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Population growth
Portland
2011 population: 593,893
2012 population: 603,106
Growth: 9,213 residents (1.55 percent)
Gresham
2011 population: 107,564
2012 population: 108,956
Growth: 1,392 residents (1.29 percent)
Hillsboro
2011 population: 93,923
2012 population: 95,327
Growth: 1,404 residents (1.49 percent)
Beaverton
2011 population: 91,385
2012 population: 92,680
Growth: 1,295 residents (1.42 percent)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Portland gained 9,213 residents from July 2011 to July 2012, a 1.55 percent growth rate that ranked 32nd among the 100 largest cities in the United States. The Rose City crossed the threshold of 600,000 residents for the first time in 2012, according to the Census Bureau.
More notably, Portland was the fourth-fastest growing big city outside of the Sun Belt, outpaced only by Washington, D.C., Seattle and Aurora, Colo.
Beaverton, Hillsboro and Gresham experienced similar increases, growing by 1.42 percent, 1.49 percent and 1.29 percent, respectively, from 2011 to 2012.
Metro economist Dennis Yee cautioned that one year's data shouldn't be taken to show a trend. But, looking at the bigger demographic and economic picture, some patterns emerge, Yee said.
"As the economy rebounds, population growth from migration and from natural increases have begun to revert closer to the longer trends we've seen in the last decade or two," Yee said in an email. "The increase in population growth is not surprising and is consistent with positive job growth seen in the last two years."
Metro's planning department is preparing for the coming urban growth boundary review, and a key part of that is producing a forecast of the region's population for the coming decades.
According to the most recent Metro population forecasts, Portland is expected to gain about 8,200 residents each year through 2035, giving it a population of 790,000. Beaverton, Hillsboro and Damascus are all forecast to gain 900 residents a year, on average, through 2035.
The population forecasts show the Metro region having a population of 1.95 million in 2035, up from 1.49 million in 2010.
"The growth projections we just finished seem to be reasonable and bolstered by the 2012 estimates," Yee said. "It is an affirmation of the regional and city forecasts to see that the 2012 Census estimate is reasonably close to the Metro forecast rate."
As part of the coming urban growth boundary decision, planning staff will offer a range population forecast to the Metro Council, showing the minimum and maximum expected rates of growth for the coming decades. The Council will then use that range to decide whether, and how much, to add to the urban growth boundary.
According to the Census Bureau, Portland had 603,106 residents on July 1, 2012. Oregon's fourth-, fifth- and sixth-largest cities were Gresham (108,956 residents), Hillsboro (95,327) and Beaverton (92,680). Vancouver grew by 0.89 percent, to 165,489 residents.
The fastest-growing city in the United States was San Marcos, Texas, which grew by 4.91 percent. By raw numbers, New York City grew the most, with 67,058 new residents.
The fastest-growing cities in the Pacific Northwest were Pasco, Auburn, Richland, Seattle and Kirkland, Wash. Bend's 1.61 percent growth rate topped Oregon.