Sources: growth rates, national ranking, the July 2024 to July 2025 measurement window and the 20,000 resident threshold via the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates released May 14, 2026, as reported by Houston Public Media; bond propositions and results via Lamar CISD and Community Impact reporting. Population estimates are revised annually. Verify current figures before relying on them.
Fulshear is the second fastest growing city in America, and it has been for three years running.
The Census Bureau released its Vintage 2025 estimates on May 14, 2026. Among cities with 20,000 or more residents, Fulshear grew 21.0 percent between July 2024 and July 2025, second only to Celina in the Dallas suburbs at 24.6 percent. It added roughly 11,200 people, the seventh largest numeric increase of any city in the country.
For context on how strange that is, Fulshear counted 16,856 residents in the 2020 Census. It has grown roughly 300 percent since.
But here is the part almost nobody reports, and it is the part that actually matters if you are buying. The Census figure puts Fulshear at nearly 65,000 people. Fulshear's own city manager, Zachary Goodlander, has said the population inside the city limits is projected to fall between 42,000 and 46,000.
Those two numbers differ by about 20,000 people. Neither one is wrong. Understanding why is worth more to you than the ranking is.
Key takeaways
- Fulshear grew 21.0 percent from July 2024 to July 2025, ranking second nationally among cities of 20,000 or more for the third consecutive year.
- It added about 11,200 residents, the seventh largest numeric gain of any city in the United States.
- The Census reports nearly 65,000 people while the city manager puts the in city figure at 42,000 to 46,000, a gap that reflects what is inside the city limits versus what carries a Fulshear address.
- All five of the nation's fastest growing cities were in Texas: Celina at 24.6 percent, Fulshear at 21.0, Princeton at 18.1, Melissa at 14.5 and Anna at 10.2.
- Lamar CISD voters approved a $1.99 billion bond in November 2025, passing three of four propositions, with new Fulshear campuses among the projects and bond sales phased starting in 2026.
- Fulshear counted 16,856 residents in the 2020 Census, meaning it has roughly quadrupled in five years.
The 20,000 person gap, and why it matters to you
The Census estimate covers a broader footprint than the incorporated city, while the city manager's figure counts residents inside the actual city limits. Both are legitimate measurements of different things, and confusing them will cause you to misjudge taxes, services and schools on a specific address.
I ran into the exact same problem building this year's Sugar Land market report. The Har market areas people quote as "Sugar Land" are drawn on a postal footprint, not on the city limits, which means homes in Richmond and Rosenberg get counted as Sugar Land sales. Once you re based the numbers on the actual city, the picture changed.
Fulshear has the same structure. A large number of homes carry a Fulshear mailing address while sitting outside the city, in unincorporated Fort Bend County or inside a municipal utility district. Those homes are genuinely part of the Fulshear community and genuinely not part of the City of Fulshear.
What that changes for a buyer:
- Who provides your services. City police and fire, or county sheriff and an emergency services district.
- What you pay. City tax rate plus MUD, or county plus MUD without the city line. This is not automatically cheaper either way, and I walk through how the layers stack in the Fort Bend tax rates breakdown.
- Who you call about a permit, a road, or a drainage complaint.
- What happens later, because land in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction can be annexed. That is exactly the mechanism I unpacked in the Del Webb at Ryehill post, where the development agreement already contains the annexation trigger in writing.
Ask one question on any Fulshear address before you go further: is this inside the city limits, and if not, what district am I actually in? The answer belongs in writing, not in a conversation with a builder's sales agent.
What the national ranking actually measures
The Census ranking covers cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents as of July 1, 2024, and measures percentage growth to July 1, 2025. It is a rate, not a size, which is why small fast growing suburbs dominate the list and large cities never appear.
| City | Metro | Growth, Jul 2024 to Jul 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Celina | Dallas Fort Worth | 24.6% |
| Fulshear | Houston | 21.0% |
| Princeton | Dallas Fort Worth | 18.1% |
| Melissa | Dallas Fort Worth | 14.5% |
| Anna | Dallas Fort Worth | 10.2% |
Every one of the top five is in Texas, and four of the five are in the Dallas metroplex. Fulshear is the only Houston area city on the list.
Percentage growth flatters small places. A town of 1,000 that adds 200 people posts 20 percent growth. What makes Fulshear's number unusual is that the percentage and the raw count are both large: 21 percent and about 11,200 people, which is a top ten numeric gain nationally. Census statistician Matt Erickson has pointed to small and medium cities hitting a sweet spot between the largest cities and slow growing small towns.
Why people are actually moving there
The drivers are affordability per square foot relative to Harris County, two well regarded school districts, and a road project that materially cut the drive to central Houston.
The Texas Heritage Parkway expansion connected the Westpark Tollway to I-10. That single connection changed Fulshear from a place that felt genuinely far to a place with two real routes into the job centers. Road access is usually the hinge on which exurban growth turns, which is the same reason Grand Parkway Segment C keeps showing up in conversations about land further south.
Schools do the rest. Fulshear addresses fall into Katy ISD or Lamar Consolidated ISD depending on where you are, and that boundary is a genuine price factor. I covered the districts diverging in the Lamar CISD post, where Lamar CISD is opening campuses while Fort Bend ISD closes them.
Two more figures worth knowing. Homeownership in Fulshear runs about 90 percent, which is unusually high and tells you this is a market of owner occupants rather than investors. And about 31 percent of residents were born outside the United States, which is consistent with the broader Fort Bend pattern.
The school bond that funds the next five years
Lamar CISD voters approved a $1.99 billion bond package in November 2025, passing three of four propositions. New Fulshear campuses are inside the largest proposition, and bond sales are phased beginning in 2026.
| Proposition | Amount | Purpose | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $1.9 billion | New campuses and improvements, including Fulshear schools | Passed |
| B | $26.74 million | Guy K. Traylor Stadium improvements | Failed |
| C | $44.13 million | Technology refresh | Passed |
| D | $10.69 million | Student devices, grades 3 to 12 | Passed |
Proposition A covers seven elementary schools, a junior high, and a middle and high school in Fulshear, plus replacements for Terry High School, George Junior High School and Navarro Middle School.
Two things a buyer should take from this. First, capacity is funded, which reduces the risk of the overcrowding and rezoning churn that comes with fast growth. Second, the district's outstanding debt rises from roughly $3 billion to roughly $5 billion, repaid over almost 35 years. The interest and sinking portion of the tax rate was projected to stay flat, but "projected to stay flat" is a forecast, not a promise, and it depends on the tax base continuing to grow.
Notice also that voters said no to the stadium. That is a community that will fund classrooms and decline the extras, which is useful information about the place.
Fulshear or Sugar Land
They are at different stages of the same lifecycle. Fulshear is new construction, newer schools and a longer commute. Sugar Land is established, closer in, with mature trees and a resale market. Neither is objectively better and the honest answer depends on what you are optimizing for.
If you want a new build, a builder warranty and the lowest price per square foot, Fulshear and the western communities are where that math works. I laid out the supply picture in the west Fort Bend supply wave and the broader new build landscape in the Fort Bend new construction guide.
If you want a shorter commute, established schools and a home under a canopy of thirty year old oaks, that is Sugar Land, and the neighborhood guide is the place to start. The Sugar Land versus Katy comparison covers a lot of the same reasoning, since Katy sits between the two.
The trap to avoid is buying the growth rate. A 21 percent growth rate is a fact about the past twelve months. It is not a promise about your resale in year seven, and rapid growth cuts both ways: it brings amenities and it brings construction traffic, strained infrastructure and a lot of competing new inventory when you eventually sell.
The honest caveats
Population estimates get revised, growth rates decelerate as a base grows, and a headline ranking says nothing about a specific street.
- Estimates are revised annually. The Vintage 2025 figures will be superseded. Treat any population number as a snapshot with a date attached.
- Percentage growth naturally slows. A city cannot add 21 percent indefinitely. Fulshear's rate will fall even as it keeps adding people, and that is arithmetic rather than decline.
- Fulshear had growing pains bad enough that the city council considered a development moratorium in 2023 before deciding to proceed. Traffic and infrastructure strain are real and residents talk about them.
- The two population figures are not interchangeable. Use the city limits number for questions about city services and city taxes, and the broader number for questions about the community and the schools.
Frequently asked questions
How fast is Fulshear growing?
Fulshear grew 21.0 percent between July 2024 and July 2025 according to Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates released May 14, 2026. It added roughly 11,200 residents, ranking second nationally among cities of 20,000 or more for the third consecutive year.
What is Fulshear's population?
It depends on what you are counting. Census estimates put the broader Fulshear area at nearly 65,000. City Manager Zachary Goodlander has said the population inside the actual city limits is projected to be between 42,000 and 46,000. Both are accurate measurements of different footprints.
Is Fulshear in Fort Bend County?
Yes. Fulshear is in Fort Bend County, west of Houston. Some homes with Fulshear mailing addresses sit outside the incorporated city in unincorporated county area or municipal utility districts, which affects taxes and services.
What school district serves Fulshear?
Fulshear addresses fall into either Katy ISD or Lamar Consolidated ISD depending on location. The boundary is a real price factor, so confirm the assigned campuses for the specific address rather than assuming based on the mailing address.
What did the Lamar CISD bond fund in Fulshear?
Lamar CISD voters approved a $1.99 billion package in November 2025, passing three of four propositions. Proposition A, at $1.9 billion, includes a middle school and high school in Fulshear along with seven elementary schools and a junior high district wide. The stadium proposition failed.
Is Fulshear a good place to buy right now?
It depends on your priorities. Fulshear offers newer construction and lower price per square foot than closer in Fort Bend, with a longer commute and a heavier supply of competing new inventory. Verify the city limits status, the tax layers and the school assignment on any specific address before deciding.
Why is Fulshear growing so fast?
The main drivers are affordability per square foot compared with Harris County, well regarded schools in Katy ISD and Lamar CISD, and the Texas Heritage Parkway expansion connecting the Westpark Tollway to I-10, which cut travel time to central Houston.
Bottom line
Fulshear ranking second in the country three years running is real and it is remarkable. Twenty one percent growth and 11,200 people added in a single year is not a marketing claim, it is a Census measurement.
But the ranking is not the useful part. The useful part is that the two population figures in circulation differ by about 20,000 people, and the reason is the same city limits versus mailing address problem that shows up on tax bills, school assignments and service boundaries across all of Fort Bend County.
Before you buy anything with a Fulshear address, get three things in writing: whether it is inside the city limits, which districts appear on the tax bill, and which campuses the address is actually zoned to. Send me an address and I will pull all three.
