New Haven’s population grew faster this decade than any other city in Connecticut, new census data shows.

Between 2000 and 2010, the city added 6,153 new residents, bringing its population up to 129,779, according to a press release sent by City Hall spokesman Adam Joseph. New Haven is behind only Bridgeport as the state’s most populous.

“The population growth clearly reflects the fact that cities have become more attractive to wider array of people,” Mayor John DeStefano Jr. said in the release. “People are moving back to cities; New Haven isn’t just attractive to students and young professionals. Folks are choosing to remain in the city. They are raising families and attending public schools and we are seeing empty nester return to an urban lifestyle.”

New Haven was also recently rated a “best housing recovery bet” by CNN Money, said Joseph, despite the economic recession.

The data follows a report in February indicating that the the city outpaced the state last year with a 3 percent growth of its tax base.