diff --git a/bucket_map/src/bucket.rs b/bucket_map/src/bucket.rs
index bcca7b605..5c29756b6 100644
--- a/bucket_map/src/bucket.rs
+++ b/bucket_map/src/bucket.rs
@@ -96,6 +96,10 @@ pub struct Bucket<T: Copy + 'static> {
     pub data: Vec<BucketStorage<DataBucket>>,
     stats: Arc<BucketMapStats>,
 
+    /// # entries caller expects the map to need to contain.
+    /// Used as a hint for the next time we need to grow.
+    anticipated_size: u64,
+
     pub reallocated: Reallocated<IndexBucket<T>, DataBucket>,
 }
 
@@ -123,6 +127,7 @@ impl<'b, T: Clone + Copy + 'static> Bucket<T> {
             data: vec![],
             stats,
             reallocated: Reallocated::default(),
+            anticipated_size: 0,
         }
     }
 
@@ -420,21 +425,28 @@ impl<'b, T: Clone + Copy + 'static> Bucket<T> {
         }
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn set_anticipated_count(&mut self, count: u64) {
+        self.anticipated_size = count;
+    }
+
     pub fn grow_index(&self, current_capacity_pow2: u8) {
         if self.index.capacity_pow2 == current_capacity_pow2 {
+            let mut starting_size_pow2 = self.index.capacity_pow2;
+            if self.anticipated_size > 0 {
+                // start the growth at the next pow2 larger than what would be required to hold `anticipated_size`.
+                // This will prevent unnecessary repeated grows at startup.
+                starting_size_pow2 = starting_size_pow2.max(self.anticipated_size.ilog2() as u8);
+            }
             let mut m = Measure::start("grow_index");
             //debug!("GROW_INDEX: {}", current_capacity_pow2);
             let increment = 1;
             for i in increment.. {
-                //increasing the capacity by ^4 reduces the
-                //likelihood of a re-index collision of 2^(max_search)^2
-                //1 in 2^32
                 let mut index = BucketStorage::new_with_capacity(
                     Arc::clone(&self.drives),
                     1,
                     std::mem::size_of::<IndexEntry<T>>() as u64,
-                    // *2 causes rapid growth of index buckets
-                    self.index.capacity_pow2 + i, // * 2,
+                    // the subtle `+ i` here causes us to grow from the starting size by a power of 2 on each iteration of the for loop
+                    starting_size_pow2 + i,
                     self.index.max_search,
                     Arc::clone(&self.stats.index),
                     Arc::clone(&self.index.count),
diff --git a/bucket_map/src/bucket_api.rs b/bucket_map/src/bucket_api.rs
index c4be1cd24..05275c530 100644
--- a/bucket_map/src/bucket_api.rs
+++ b/bucket_map/src/bucket_api.rs
@@ -111,6 +111,13 @@ impl<T: Clone + Copy> BucketApi<T> {
         }
     }
 
+    /// caller can specify that the index needs to hold approximately `count` entries soon.
+    /// This gives a hint to the resizing algorithm and prevents repeated incremental resizes.
+    pub fn set_anticipated_count(&self, count: u64) {
+        let mut bucket = self.get_write_bucket();
+        bucket.as_mut().unwrap().set_anticipated_count(count);
+    }
+
     pub fn update<F>(&self, key: &Pubkey, updatefn: F)
     where
         F: FnMut(Option<(&[T], RefCount)>) -> Option<(Vec<T>, RefCount)>,
diff --git a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
index 5ebdf7602..8217f7648 100644
--- a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
@@ -1061,6 +1061,9 @@ impl<T: IndexValue, U: DiskIndexValue + From<T> + Into<T>> InMemAccountsIndex<T,
         // merge all items into the disk index now
         let disk = self.bucket.as_ref().unwrap();
         let mut count = 0;
+        let current_len = disk.bucket_len();
+        let anticipated = insert.len();
+        disk.set_anticipated_count((anticipated as u64).saturating_add(current_len));
         insert.into_iter().for_each(|(slot, k, v)| {
             let entry = (slot, v);
             let new_ref_count = u64::from(!v.is_cached());
@@ -1085,6 +1088,8 @@ impl<T: IndexValue, U: DiskIndexValue + From<T> + Into<T>> InMemAccountsIndex<T,
                 }
             });
         });
+        // remove the guidance for how many entries the bucket will eventually contain since we have added all we knew about
+        disk.set_anticipated_count(0);
         self.stats().inc_insert_count(count);
     }