It's Official: Austin Metro Area Tops 2 Million Population Mark

AUSTIN, TX -- The Austin metro area has surpassed the 2 million mark in terms of population -- ranking it as the fastest-growing major metropolitan area in the nation for the fifth straight year -- according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.

Those living in the region have long been able to anecdotally attest to the region’s rapid growth. It can be seen in ever-increasing traffic gridlock (Interstate 35 is a rush-hour nightmare), soaring rental and property values as landowners capitalize on a bolstered resident influx and, sadly, an increasing number of accidents on area roadways.

The census numbers make that perception of growth official.

In the last ten-year period, the region grew by more than 100,000 new residents -- from 1.9 million to 2.05 million.

While the imprimatur of the census make the milestone official, the surpassing of the 2-million mark was previously detected albeit with less fanfare. Late last year, city demographer Ryan Robinson told Austin-based Lawnstarter the milestone was actually achieved over the summer.

Then, he added (brace yourself for this): The region will likely grow to 3.2 million by 2030 given the current growth pace.

While the newly released census numbers might give Austinites pause -- and no small measure of anxiety to the driving public -- the new data has positioned Robinson like the kid in the proverbial candy store. On the heels of the numbers, he’s already begun to crunch the numbers to break down their significance and impact to the average resident.

Ahead of the official numbers, Robinson broke down what the growth means for the region.

“Demographically speaking, Austin continues to experience profound change,” he wrote on the municipal website. “Keeping up with how these demographic shifts affect the City is essential to successful operations and planning.”

In light of the bolstered growth, Robinson produced a portal rich in demographic maps and demographic data.

The impressive growth yields challenged, Robinson said. While good for industry (particularly high-tech that now rivals California’s Silicon Valley as a technology hub), population growth also breeds societal ills -- the most corrosive of these being socioeconomic disparity, he said.

“Austin's demographic story continues to revolve around the three major themes of: 1) rapid and sustained job and population growth; 2) transformative demographic diversification; 3) and, stubborn structural and spatial socioeconomic separations.”

City Council officials have reacted to the changing dynamics, pushing for construction of more affordable housing stock as an increasing number of people find themselves unable to afford staying in their homes as property values rise.

A dramatic illustration of the ill effects of growth were seen late last year, when Oracle Corp. announced a major Austin expansion -- but indirectly displacing more than 100 low-income families from a rapidly gentrifying part of the city as it celebrated its move.

Developers and property owners are increasingly aware of the shifting economic dynamics as their own fortunes soar, helping to defray resulting property value increases from their new construction. The move is viewed as a hybrid of altruism meets PR preemptive strike.

One such developer were those behind construction of The Independent -- a 370-luxury-condo high-rise the commands unit prices of up to $3.4 million. While announcing the groundbreaking for the unique structure that will transform the Austin skyline, representatives disclosed they would contribute$2.5 million to the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to offset ripple effects on neighboring tenants property valuations resulting from the new construction.

For their part, Oracle Corp. officials have ignored calls and emails made by Patch asking if they intend to help defray costs for the low-income tenants they indirectly displaced from their homes. Community activists disrupted a recent hiring recruiting effort at the University of Texas at Austin campus attended by Patch, only to be told by one of the handful of top Oracle Corp. executives the forum was an inappropriate one in which to air their grievances.

One ambitious would-be hire even apologized to the software giant brass for the interruption before posing a question to the executives about the jobs outlook once he graduates college.

Fueled by its explosive growth, Austin recently gained a dubious distinction as the most economically segregated metro area in the nation.

The newly released census numbers may seem like a dry recitation of data to the casual observer, but their implications have a real-world impact.

For freshly minted college students, the arrival of industries lured to the metro area's dynamics offer up a rich source of potential employers. But for hose in the lower-income strata, the shifting numbers yield a rough calculus to have to assimilate.