Auburn sees 43% growth since 2010, now 7th largest city in AL

AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - Reports say Auburn is the fastest growing large city in Alabama. Census data shows the population in 2010 was just north of 53,000. Now, its over 76,000.

A number like 10% would be considered solid growth from Census to Census - the numbers taken once a decade. For Auburn though, try almost 43%, according to the 2020 Census.

“For those of us who have lived here in Auburn have watched what has occurred here in this community with the new neighborhoods that have come online in the last decade, the size of our school system, the growth in our commercial sector. All of those are signals that Auburn is growing as we add a new fire station and have just built a new public safety center,” said Mayor Ron Anders.

Mayor Anders says Auburn’s growth can be attributed to a lot of different factors and he notes the numbers from the 2010 Census may not have been accurate.

“We felt like we were undercounted in 2010. To see that number being 23,000, we weren’t too surprised. But I will tell you a year and a half later because that’s a 2020 number. We certainly do not think the growth has stopped,” he said.

With growth of that magnitude, growing pains can come along, too. The mayor says traffic infrastructure is a major focus for the city.

“Without question, keeping up with growth to me signals transportation. We’ve got to be mindful to keep up our road network as it has more and more volume each and every day and our intersections are more and more crowded,” the mayor explained. “Those are expenditures that the city has been well prepared for over the last decade and it will be challenges for us as we move forward.”

Mayor Anders says the city is safe and attributes that to significant investment and adds there is another major factor in why Auburn has grown so much over the past decade.

“It is, without question, our public school system. It has been ranked at the top of Alabama’s public school systems now for multiple generations,” Anders said.

Auburn passed Dothan in the Census figures and now holds the title of seventh largest city in Alabama.