6. Warner Robins, GA: Up 2.9%
West of Hinesville is Warner Robins, whose population has grown around the Robins Air Force Base. With 23,000 employees and 3,000 contractors, the base is a major driver of the area’s economy, accounting for 30 percent of its jobs and some $4.1 billion in local economic activity. This year’s growth is nothing new: the city's population swelled by 36 percent between 2000 and 2010. A $7 million city law enforcement center is also going up this year, which has boosted the number of construction jobs, and a $4 million entertainment center being finished this summer that will add another 100.
