Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Census: North Carolina Continues To Grow, Along With Its Southern Neighbors

New data from the U.S. Census show the South and West continue to gain population. (Courtesy: U.S. Census)

North Carolina's population continues to grow according to new data from the U.S. Census.

The state is now home to 10,273,419 people, jumping by more than 116,000 in just one year.

That puts North Carolina among the top ten states in terms of raw residential growth over the last year.

It also lines up with a national trend that's been gaining steam: the U.S. population is South bound. Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia were all among the top ten on the numeric growth chart.

But people are also moving West: the fastest growing states between 2016 and 2017 were Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Washington.

Meanwhile, the country as a whole grew by 2.3 million people, bringing the U.S. population to nearly 326 million. This comes despite net international migration dropping for the first time in years.

In the last few years, North Carolina became the ninth state to surpass 10 million residents. If domestic migration trends continue apace, Michigan is poised to join the club next.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate