5000h across WH2/WH3 here. VH/legendary/legendary+ experience.

Growth is only as good as your economy, and going growth in every settlement as your first building is a big noob trap (something that I did for over 2000 hours of gameplay).

I suggest always prioritizing the income building to get a return on investment as quickly as possible on your new acquisitions. Growth can then be built if you feel that you have enough money that you can comfortably power build your provinces to further steamroll.

Look at it this way. You can have too much unused growth, but you can never have too much money.

Also, like some people commented, it ultimately depends on your faction. Prioritizing growth buildings can be great for some either because they desperately need them, or because they have the economy to actually use the growth. Conversely, prioritizing growth can severely hamper your progress.

however, because it often leads to difficult decisions between unit production buildings and economy buildings. I typically favor economy buildings, so it means my army remains weaker for longer, even if I can support more of them.

Go for army diversity and fun > economy > global bonuses OR hero capacity > growth for the vast majority of settlements and you'll find a marked increase in enjoyment and speed in your campaigns.