Austin economist's forecast for 2017: Growth will slow, but 'don't panic' More than 100,000 new residents will arrive in Austin over the next two years as the population and economy continue to grow, but at a slightly slower pace than what the region is used to. That was the broad takeaway from economist Angelos Angelou's annual economic forecast, delivered Thursday in an inaugural web conference hosted with Austin Business Journal. Angelou predicts the Austin region will add 52,000 residents in 2017 and 55,000 residents in 2018, raising the region's population from 2.07 million in 2016 to 2.18 million in 2018. "The economy is cooling off, but don't panic," he said. "Cooling off is good news for us. It will hopefully lead to housing and labor markets catching up with demand."
Profusion of million-dollar homes in Austin adds fuel to already red-hot housing market