One thing Americans have proven themselves to be skilled at is finding or developing communities that fit their preferred lifestyles. From decades of developing and moving to the suburbs to more niche modern trends like living in tiny homes, Americans are constantly on looking for the right work-life balance and way to live the life that is fulfilling. For many around the country, that has meant looking beyond the suburbs and moving to exurban areas in recent decades.

What is an exurb?
An exurban area often represents an appealing alternative for those seeking to blend rural tranquility with metropolitan conveniences. Characterized by large tracts of land and a penchant for outdoor activities, these areas offer a unique living experience away from the urban sprawl. Exurbs are particularly attractive to individuals desiring expansive property yet requiring the economic connections facilitated by proximity to a major city. The rise of remote work has further fueled their growth, as people leverage digital connectivity to maintain careers in urban centers while enjoying a more rural lifestyle.

The term “exurb” is generally used to refer to communities that exist beyond the traditional suburban areas but are still economically connected to a large metropolitan area. Additionally, in order to qualify as an exurb, a community must also feature low housing density. Essentially, exurbs allow citizens to enjoy a more rural, spacious living environment. But, the location still allows reasonable access to the benefits and resources of a big city as long as they are willing to commute.

For many, the exurbs are the best of both worlds, so it should come as no surprise that these kinds of communities have been growing and thriving all around the country as more and more Americans discover the benefits and lifestyle they allow. Given our expertise when it comes to how and why people relocate, we wanted to look closer at this topic and find out which exurban communities have been growing the fastest in the last 30 years.

Our team used data from the American Communities Project and The Brookings Institution to identify more than 300 communities across America that qualify as exurbs. We then used population growth data collected and published by the United States Department of Agriculture to track the growth rate for each of those communities for three different time frames: 1990-2019, 2000-2019, and 2010-2019.

For our first bit of analysis, we mapped out the 10 fastest-growing exurbs in America since the start of the 1990s. For each of the top 10, we include the name of the county where the exurban area is found, data on the community’s growth rate over the designated time period, and the closest major metropolitan area. For the period from 1990 to 2019, the two fastest-growing exurbs were Douglas County, Colorado and Forsyth County, Georgia. Both experienced over 400% population growth in that time frame, more than quadrupling in size over the last 30 years. While those two counties led the way, it is worth noting that every single exurb in our top 10 grew by at least 200% since 1990.