A busy Metro station is a solid indicator of how many people might work, live or play at a certain location. The more a station grows, the thinking goes, the more desirable the location may be getting.

If that’s the case, then the area around the New York Avenue Metro station (soon to be NoMa-Gallaudet U) is certainly becoming a better place to be. According to Metro statistics obtained by the Examiner, the Red Line station has the fastest-growing ridership in the system, having increased by over 18 percent from 2010 to 2011. The Clarendon station on the Blue/Orange lines came in second at 14 percent growth, while the Red Line’s Medical Center station took third with 11 percent. East Falls Church, Georgia Avenue, Fort Totten, Morgan Boulevard, Mt. Vernon Square, Waterfront and West Hyattsville rounded out the top 10.

Despite some issues with the methodology — the New York Avenue station is newer, for one, and could have seen increased ridership due to other stations being closed for track work — neighborhood leaders are seeing the news as proof that the area around the Red Line station is becoming more desirable.

Robin-Eve Jasper, the president of the NoMa Business Improvement District, wasn’t surprised to see the New York Avenue stop show such a surge. She said the neighborhood around it has been exploding, with new residential units, offices and retail.

Metro is a huge contributor to the growth, Jasper said, but not the only cause of it. The proximity of Union Station, the flood of federal workers heading to jobs at the Department of Justice and the Securities Exchange Commission, plus the overall resurgence of the District have helped.

“It’s a snowball effect,” Jasper said. “Now we’re seeing the pace of change accelerate.”

According to ridership statistics from 2011, the top five busiest Metro stations were Union Station, Metro Center, Gallery Place/Chinatown, Farragut North and Dupont Circle.