The 2024 ACS took a little bit longer than usually to be released, but now that its out we had a chance to compare some of the significant differences between 2023 and 2024.
The American Community Survey is the gold standard for demographic and housing data, but its 5-year estimates inherently look backward — the 2024 release reflects conditions averaged across 2020-2024. CommunityScale’s methodology uses ACS and PUMS as a foundational layer and then supplements it with fresher, higher-frequency data for home values, rental indices, inventory metrics, FRED (mortgage rates and economic indicators), BLS (Consumer Price Index for inflation adjustment), and HUD (Area Median Income). By blending the ACS’s comprehensive demographic detail with these more current market signals, CommunityScale can produce housing forecasts and affordability analyses that are both demographically grounded and responsive to real-time market conditions.
Population
Source: acs2024_5yr.state_b01001 vs acs2023_5yr.state_b01001
The Sun Belt mega-trend continued
Texas added 548,080 people (+1.85%) and Florida added 487,197 (+2.22%) — together accounting for roughly half of all US growth. North Carolina (+146k), Georgia (+118k), and Arizona (+111k) rounded out the top five.
| State | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 30,188,424 | +548,080 | +1.85% |
| Florida | 22,416,077 | +487,197 | +2.22% |
| North Carolina | 10,730,404 | +146,064 | +1.38% |
| Georgia | 10,940,407 | +117,817 | +1.09% |
| Arizona | 7,378,838 | +110,663 | +1.52% |
| South Carolina | 5,296,225 | +83,451 | +1.60% |
| Tennessee | 7,066,383 | +80,301 | +1.15% |
| New Jersey | 9,343,809 | +76,795 | +0.83% |
| Washington | 7,816,116 | +75,132 | +0.97% |
| Utah | 3,392,331 | +61,144 | +1.84% |
Shrinking states
New York was the only state that lost significant population (-19,954), followed by Louisiana (-9,064), West Virginia (-6,089), Mississippi (-4,659), and Hawaii (-400). Illinois barely held steady at +2,145.
| State | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 19,852,366 | -19,954 | -0.10% |
| Louisiana | 4,611,961 | -9,064 | -0.20% |
| West Virginia | 1,778,373 | -6,089 | -0.34% |
| Mississippi | 2,946,779 | -4,659 | -0.16% |
| Hawaii | 1,445,235 | -400 | -0.03% |
| Illinois | 12,694,798 | +2,145 | +0.02% |
Fastest-growing large cities (100k+)
Houston (+27.8k), Fort Worth (+21.9k), and San Antonio (+20.9k) led in absolute terms. Mobile, AL was a standout with a +9.9% growth rate, the highest among all cities over 100k. Other notable fast growers included Port St. Lucie, FL (+5.5%), Cape Coral, FL (+4.4%), and Frisco, TX (+4.3%).
| City | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | 2,328,253 | +27,834 | +1.21% |
| Fort Worth, TX | 963,194 | +21,883 | +2.32% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,479,835 | +20,881 | +1.43% |
| Mobile, AL | 203,416 | +18,319 | +9.90% |
| Charlotte, NC | 903,844 | +17,561 | +1.98% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 1,642,323 | +17,491 | +1.08% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 977,670 | +15,931 | +1.66% |
| Miami, FL | 459,745 | +13,082 | +2.93% |
| Seattle, WA | 754,195 | +12,755 | +1.72% |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 232,491 | +12,038 | +5.46% |
Cities losing population
NYC lost the most people of any city (-32,358), followed by Memphis (-10,083) and San Francisco (-6,086). St. Louis, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Jackson, MS also posted notable declines.
| City | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 8,483,844 | -32,358 | -0.38% |
| Memphis, TN | 618,980 | -10,083 | -1.60% |
| San Francisco, CA | 830,235 | -6,086 | -0.73% |
| St. Louis, MO | 288,512 | -4,597 | -1.57% |
| New Orleans, LA | 371,853 | -4,182 | -1.11% |
| Baltimore, MD | 573,243 | -3,950 | -0.68% |
| Jackson, MS | 146,631 | -3,196 | -2.13% |
| Long Beach, CA | 455,548 | -2,943 | -0.64% |
| Milwaukee, WI | 566,973 | -2,783 | -0.49% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 1,579,706 | -2,726 | -0.17% |
Metro area trends
The Dallas-Fort Worth (+178k, +2.3%) and Houston (+168k, +2.3%) metros led, followed by Miami (+110k) and Phoenix (+88k). Austin (+2.9%) and Orlando (+2.7%) posted the highest growth rates among large metros. On the flip side, LA-Long Beach-Anaheim lost 38k people, and San Francisco-Oakland lost 8.6k.
| Metro | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,985,590 | +178,035 | +2.28% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 7,442,788 | +168,074 | +2.31% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-WPB, FL | 6,249,291 | +110,415 | +1.80% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 5,028,754 | +87,548 | +1.77% |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 2,426,592 | +69,095 | +2.93% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 2,793,746 | +72,724 | +2.67% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 12,974,487 | -37,982 | -0.29% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 4,645,029 | -8,564 | -0.18% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2,439,940 | -3,981 | -0.16% |
Fastest-growing counties (50k+)
Almost entirely Texas and Florida. Kaufman County, TX led at +7.4%, followed by Rockwall (+5.7%), Liberty (+5.5%), Comal (+5.3%). Florida entries included Osceola (+5.0%), St. Johns (+5.0%), St. Lucie (+4.1%), and Flagler (+4.0%).
| County | 2024 Pop | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufman County, TX | 172,604 | +11,886 | +7.40% |
| Rockwall County, TX | 123,617 | +6,686 | +5.72% |
| Liberty County, TX | 103,380 | +5,387 | +5.50% |
| Comal County, TX | 183,826 | +9,274 | +5.31% |
| Osceola County, FL | 427,415 | +20,472 | +5.03% |
| St. Johns County, FL | 306,934 | +14,691 | +5.03% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 684,432 | +29,710 | +4.54% |
| Williamson County, TX | 672,688 | +28,799 | +4.47% |
| Collin County, TX | 1,163,337 | +46,736 | +4.19% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 893,767 | +34,046 | +3.96% |
Mid-size cities grew fastest
Aggregating all places by population size category revealed that mid-size cities (10k-50k) grew fastest at +0.91%, outpacing megacities (500k+) at just +0.40%.
| Size Category | # Places | Pop 2024 | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500k+ | 37 | 44,650,833 | +179,965 | +0.40% |
| 100k-500k | 309 | 55,725,606 | +441,954 | +0.80% |
| 50k-100k | 531 | 37,136,569 | +330,789 | +0.90% |
| 10k-50k | 3,330 | 71,215,055 | +644,735 | +0.91% |
| Under 10k | 27,632 | 45,714,809 | +241,649 | +0.53% |
Housing
Source: acs2024_5yr.place_b25001 vs acs2023_5yr.place_b25001
Housing unit construction leaders
NYC added the most housing units (+28,590) despite losing population — a significant divergence suggesting new supply may have helped offset demand pressure. Austin (+16,643, +3.6%) and Nashville (+11,720, +3.5%) were also on building sprees. Seattle (+10,985, +2.9%) and Minneapolis (+5,863, +2.9%) stood out in the north.
| City | 2024 Units | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 3,678,486 | +28,590 | +0.78% |
| Houston, TX | 1,040,576 | +17,464 | +1.71% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1,554,332 | +17,298 | +1.13% |
| Austin, TX | 483,071 | +16,643 | +3.57% |
| Nashville, TN | 344,794 | +11,720 | +3.52% |
| Seattle, WA | 393,918 | +10,985 | +2.87% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 653,065 | +10,198 | +1.59% |
| San Antonio, TX | 612,901 | +9,688 | +1.61% |
| San Diego, CA | 568,668 | +9,015 | +1.61% |
| Chicago, IL | 1,277,054 | +8,855 | +0.70% |
Vacancy rates tightened almost everywhere
Vacancy rates fell across nearly all states, with Wyoming (-1.23 pp) and North Dakota (-1.03 pp) seeing the largest drops. Only DC saw a notable vacancy increase (+0.42 pp), suggesting its office-to-residential conversions or new supply may have outpaced demand.
| State | 2024 Vacancy | 2023 Vacancy | Change (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 10.1% | 9.7% | +0.42 |
| Wyoming | 12.2% | 13.4% | -1.23 |
| North Dakota | 12.3% | 13.3% | -1.03 |
| Rhode Island | 9.1% | 9.8% | -0.72 |
| Vermont | 19.4% | 20.1% | -0.70 |
| West Virginia | 15.4% | 16.1% | -0.67 |
Multi-family share grew in unexpected places
DC (+0.64 pp), South Dakota (+0.50 pp), Washington (+0.46 pp), and North Dakota (+0.44 pp) saw the biggest increases in 5+ unit multi-family share. Florida’s multi-family share was essentially flat (-0.03 pp) despite huge population growth, meaning the state absorbed growth primarily through single-family construction.
| State | 2024 MF Share | 2023 MF Share | Change (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 56.9% | 56.3% | +0.64 |
| South Dakota | 16.2% | 15.7% | +0.50 |
| Washington | 22.2% | 21.7% | +0.46 |
| North Dakota | 25.1% | 24.6% | +0.44 |
| Colorado | 22.6% | 22.2% | +0.40 |
| Florida | 24.5% | 24.5% | -0.03 |
Home Values
State-level appreciation
Tennessee (+11.6%), North Carolina (+11.4%), Maine (+11.3%), and Idaho (+11.3%) led state-level home value appreciation. Every state saw increases, but DC had the slowest at just +1.7%.
| State | 2024 Median | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $286,700 | +$29,900 | +11.6% |
| North Carolina | $288,900 | +$29,500 | +11.4% |
| Maine | $296,600 | +$30,200 | +11.3% |
| Idaho | $418,600 | +$42,600 | +11.3% |
| Montana | $375,800 | +$37,700 | +11.2% |
| Georgia | $303,300 | +$30,400 | +11.1% |
| Florida | $359,000 | +$34,000 | +10.5% |
| District of Columbia | $737,100 | +$12,500 | +1.7% |
| North Dakota | $249,900 | +$8,800 | +3.6% |
| Louisiana | $216,500 | +$7,800 | +3.7% |
City-level: expensive markets hit a ceiling
Among cities over 250k, Tampa (+12.0%), Mesa (+12.0%), and Winston-Salem (+12.3%) saw the strongest appreciation. Meanwhile, the most expensive coastal markets saw minimal gains: San Francisco (+1.0%), Oakland (+0.6%), DC (+1.7%), Seattle (+2.9%), and Boston (+3.0%).
| City | 2024 Median Value | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston-Salem, NC | $233,800 | +$25,600 | +12.3% |
| Mesa, AZ | $408,000 | +$43,700 | +12.0% |
| Tampa, FL | $420,400 | +$45,100 | +12.0% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $420,700 | +$38,800 | +10.2% |
| … | |||
| San Francisco, CA | $1,394,500 | +$14,000 | +1.0% |
| Oakland, CA | $929,900 | +$5,200 | +0.6% |
| Washington, DC | $737,100 | +$12,500 | +1.7% |
| Seattle, WA | $938,600 | +$26,500 | +2.9% |
| Boston, MA | $731,700 | +$21,300 | +3.0% |
Income
Median household income gains
Newark, NJ saw the biggest jump (+7.5%), followed by Santa Ana, CA (+6.4%) and Fresno, CA (+6.3%). Most Arizona cities posted strong gains (Phoenix +5.6%, Mesa +5.0%, Glendale +4.8%, Tucson +4.6%).
San Francisco was the only major city where median income actually fell (-0.3%), alongside very slow growth in St. Paul (+0.5%) and Minneapolis (+0.7%).
| City | 2024 MHI | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark, NJ | $52,060 | +$3,644 | +7.5% |
| Santa Ana, CA | $93,999 | +$5,645 | +6.4% |
| Fresno, CA | $70,991 | +$4,187 | +6.3% |
| Tampa, FL | $75,475 | +$4,173 | +5.9% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $81,332 | +$4,291 | +5.6% |
| … | |||
| San Francisco, CA | $140,970 | -$476 | -0.3% |
| St. Paul, MN | $73,394 | +$339 | +0.5% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $80,846 | +$577 | +0.7% |
| Omaha, NE | $73,201 | +$493 | +0.7% |
| Detroit, MI | $39,938 | +$363 | +0.9% |
Demographics
Source: acs2024_5yr.state_b01001 vs acs2023_5yr.state_b01001
Every state got older
The 65+ share increased in every single state. New Hampshire (+0.65 pp to 20.1%) and Vermont (+0.64 pp to 21.4%) aged fastest. The fast-growing Sun Belt states aged the slowest — Florida (+0.22 pp), Texas (+0.26 pp), Utah (+0.24 pp) — because in-migration of younger workers kept their age profiles young. DC had the smallest shift (+0.07 pp) and remained the youngest at 12.8% senior share.
| State | 2024 Senior % | 2023 Senior % | Change (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 20.1% | 19.5% | +0.65 |
| Vermont | 21.4% | 20.8% | +0.64 |
| Delaware | 20.6% | 20.0% | +0.57 |
| Hawaii | 20.5% | 19.9% | +0.55 |
| Maine | 22.4% | 21.9% | +0.50 |
| … | |||
| Florida | 21.3% | 21.1% | +0.22 |
| Texas | 13.4% | 13.2% | +0.26 |
| Utah | 11.9% | 11.6% | +0.24 |
| District of Columbia | 12.8% | 12.7% | +0.07 |
Tenure
Source: acs2024_5yr.place_b25003 vs acs2023_5yr.place_b25003
Renter/owner shifts among major cities
Austin (+0.99 pp) and Memphis (+1.11 pp) shifted most toward renting, while Las Vegas (-0.93 pp), North Las Vegas (-0.98 pp), and Cincinnati (-0.89 pp) shifted most toward homeownership.
| City | 2024 Renter % | 2023 Renter % | Shift (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN | 55.1% | 54.0% | +1.11 |
| Austin, TX | 56.6% | 55.6% | +0.99 |
| Jersey City, NJ | 72.1% | 71.2% | +0.86 |
| Portland, OR | 48.0% | 47.2% | +0.85 |
| … | |||
| North Las Vegas, NV | 36.4% | 37.3% | -0.98 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 43.4% | 44.3% | -0.93 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 60.2% | 61.1% | -0.89 |
| Kansas City, MO | 44.6% | 45.4% | -0.79 |
The Big Picture
The overarching story from 2023 to 2024: the Sun Belt boom continued unabated while coastal superstar cities and Rust Belt metros stagnated or shrank. But a new wrinkle emerged — the most expensive coastal markets (San Francisco, Oakland, NYC) saw near-zero home value appreciation and population loss even as they continued to add housing units, while mid-tier Sun Belt cities saw double-digit home value appreciation and population surges. This convergence may signal a structural repricing of where Americans want to live.
Meanwhile, every state in America aged, vacancy tightened nearly everywhere, and mid-size cities (10k-50k) grew faster than megacities suggesting a broad-based dispersal of growth beyond just the biggest metros.
Data Dictionary
| ACS Table | Description | Key Fields Used |
|---|---|---|
| B01001 | Sex by Age | b01001001 (total pop), b01001020-025 + b01001044-049 (65+) |
| B19013 | Median Household Income | b19013001 |
| B25001 | Housing Units | b25001001 (total units) |
| B25002 | Occupancy Status | b25002003 (vacant units) |
| B25003 | Tenure | b25003001 (total occ.), b25003003 (renter-occ.) |
| B25024 | Units in Structure | b25024001 (total), b25024006-009 (5+ unit structures) |
| B25077 | Median Value (Owner-Occ.) | b25077001 |
All queries compare acs2024_5yr schema (2020-2024 ACS 5-year estimates) against acs2023_5yr schema (2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates).
