The Washington region’s population has boomed since the 2010 census, taking on nearly 122,000 people through last summer for the third-highest population increase in metropolitan areas across the country, according to data released Thursday.

The region’s population increased by 121,911 between April 2010 and July 2011 to total 5.7 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s metropolitan area estimates. The increase ranks only behind those of Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, which grew by 154,774 and 139,699 residents, respectively.