Is Housing Catching Up?

America’s fastest-growing cities are concentrated in the Sunbelt, according to the latest Census numbers, thanks to their (relative) abundance of affordable housing and jobs. The Texas tea boomtowns of Monroe, Frisco, and McKinney all make the top 10 list, as do Greenville, South Carolina and Bonita Springs, Florida. A dusting of business-oriented, non-Southern locales, including Bend, Oregon, also rank.

But many of the largest absolute increases in population hit bigger cities, with bigger problems. While housing-abundant Phoenix topped the list for the largest numeric gain in new bodies, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and New York City weren’t far behind. These are towns with severe housing shortages, and many of their mayors have made pledges to increase stock.