Bend ranks 50th in a new list of America’s fastest-growing cities over the past five years
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A decade or two (or three) ago, the Bend area’s attractions often placed it in the top 10 or 20 of various national rankings, including the fastest-growing. We’re not quite there anymore, for a whole host of debatable reasons, but a new population list shows Bend as one of the nation’s 50th fastest-growing cities of the past five years.
Fiftieth, actually.
SmartAsset’s report examined the population data “across 344 of the largest cities” to determine who grew most between 2017 and 2022.
Bend grew by 8% over those five years, the ranking shows, to a population of 103,263 as of last year.
Topping the list: Buckeye, Arizona, which grew by more than 48% in just those five years, to a population topping 105,000. One Northwest city makes the top five – the top 10, actually: Meridian, Idaho, which grew by 26% in those five years, for a population of nearly 130,000.
"Population growth can have a ripple effect throughout a local economy," SmartAsset said in presenting its list. "As people move into an area and families grow, demand on housing, local businesses and infrastructure can be unexpectedly impacted. Examining shifts in populations and their dynamics can help residents understand the greater economic picture and inform their financial decisions."
City of Bend Senior Planner Damian Syrnyk, who probably has watched population counts for the city and Deschutes County over the longest time, tells us he's "not surprised on the ranking" in this report of population growth nationwide.
"Our growth has slowed a little, compared to what it was a few years ago, but we did grow in population between 2017 and 2022," he said, despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, fast-rising housing prices and a tight housing supply.
