Celina, the small Collin County town twelve miles north of Frisco, is the fastest-growing city in the United States for the second year in a row, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released May 14. The city grew 24.6 percent between July 2024 and July 2025, adding 12,700 residents to reach 64,427, the largest percentage gain of any U.S. city with more than 20,000 people (Lichtenberg, 2026).
A neighbor on the move
In raw numbers, Celina added more residents in a single year than Seattle or Houston, cities that are roughly twelve and thirty-seven times its size (CBS Texas, 2026). The Census Bureau also ranked three other Collin County cities in the national top five: Princeton at number three, Melissa at number four, and Anna at number five. Together, those four cities sit along the northern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth commuter belt that includes Frisco.
From cotton-gin town to exurban anchor
John T. Mulkey established Celina in 1879 and named it after his hometown in Tennessee. By 1884 the community supported a cotton gin, gristmill, school, and Methodist church, with a population of 150. The St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway reached the area in 1902, and the town incorporated in 1907 (Texas State Historical Association, 2023). For most of the twentieth century, Celina remained a farm community of under 2,000 residents. The 2000 census counted 1,861. The town did not cross the 6,000 mark until 2010.
Demographics, housing, and the economy
Celina's median property value reached $509,600 in 2024, and homeownership stood at 92.7 percent, well above state and national averages (Data USA, 2024). The average commute is 33.3 minutes, reflecting the city's role as a bedroom community for jobs concentrated in Frisco, Plano, and central Dallas. Builder Jason Walker, who works for Highland Homes, told CBS Texas that his company alone expects to finish 30 to 35 homes in Celina this year (CBS Texas, 2026). Real estate agent Georgina Hennen of Keller Williams North Country said buyers want "land, space, great schools, restaurants, sports, and that hometown feel."