Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Census report: Henderson among fastest-growing cities in America

neighborhood

Julie Jacobson / AP

In this Wednesday, May 29, 2013, photo a motorist pulls into the driveway in a neighborhood in Henderson.

Henderson isn’t just the fastest-growing city in Southern Nevada, it’s also one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, according the U.S. Census Bureau.

Henderson from July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018, was the nation’s 12th-quickest growing city for areas with a population of at least 50,000. It grew by 10,800 residents to outpace the 14th-fastest growing city — Las Vegas — by about 1,800.

Henderson’s population sits at 310,390.

“I attribute our growth to the fact that Henderson has a strong quality of life,” said Debra March, the Henderson mayor. “Taxes in Nevada are low, we haven’t raised our taxes in Henderson in 28 years, and quality of life is very important to us. It’s a great place to raise a family or to retire.”

Most of the communities that welcomed more residents than Henderson during the stated period were major cities with populations of at least 700,000. Phoenix, which welcomed more than 25,000 new residents, topped the list. Only Frisco, Texas, with a population of about 188,000, has fewer people than Henderson.

“We’re also mindful of our growth,” March said. “There have been projections about growth in the Henderson area and we anticipate that our population will grow by about 100,000 by 2030. We’re expecting to have thoughtful growth and maintain the standards in our community as we grow.”

Despite the growth, the Henderson housing market has remained stagnant for most of the past fiscal year, said Janet Carpenter, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. Residents want to know the health of the housing market before buying, she said.

“There’s not been any real appreciation like we had last fall,” Carpenter said. “Housing prices have appreciated so much in the past year, wages have not been able to keep up with the increases. We’re starting to see more homes on the market and homes lingering longer on the market because the public has said ‘that’s too much for that house.’”