NC in Focus
Keep up with our latest demographic insights
Way back in 2019, which now seems like eons ago, I wrote a column for Vox about the importance of the upcoming 2020 Census. It started off like this: “For demographers like me, the census is kind of like our Super Bowl, if the Super Bowl only took place once a decade — and if the foundation of your representative democracy hinged on the winner of the game.” The 2020 Census kicked off its nationwide…
Residents and employees of nursing homes and similar long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are more vulnerable to COVID-19 related illness and death than the general population. In fact, nationally 38% of COVID-19 deaths have been associated with LTCFs. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that individuals in LTCFs be prioritized in COVID-19 vaccination distribution plans. In North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s vaccination rollout plan, he included long-term care residents and staff along with…
It’s been nearly a year since our lives were first disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. What do cumulative case counts, deaths, and vaccination levels look like in North Carolina? Here’s the latest data according to NC DHHS data accessed on 2/11/2021. I used the projected 2020 population from the state demographer to calculate levels per 10,000 residents. COVID-19 Cases There have been 805,889 cases recorded in North Carolina counties or 758 per 10,000 residents.…
North Carolina’s Hispanic population is now greater than one million people, with 1,026,000 residents in 2019. The state’s Hispanic/Latino population grew from just over 75,000 in 1990 to 800,000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that North Carolina’s Hispanic population grew by 226,000 new residents, an increase of 28.3%, faster than the growth of this population nationwide (19.6%). The Hispanic/Latinx communities in Mecklenburg County (153K) and Wake County (116K) comprise…
We recently worked with the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, the governments of the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, and Orange County to streamline existing processes for acquiring, updating, and maintaining the data they use for their community reports and presentations. As part of that work, we've released a series of reports looking at demographic and economic trends in Orange County, NC. Here are some highlights from Carolina Demography's report on community…
We recently worked with the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, the governments of the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, and Orange County to streamline existing processes for acquiring, updating, and maintaining the data they use for their community reports and presentations. As part of that work, we've released a series of reports looking at demographic and economic trends in Orange County, NC. Here are some highlights from Carolina Demography's report on community…
We recently worked with the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, the governments of the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, and Orange County to streamline existing processes for acquiring, updating, and maintaining the data they use for their community reports and presentations. As part of that work, we've released a series of reports looking at demographic and economic trends in Orange County, NC. Here are some highlights from Carolina Demography's report on population…
North Carolina plays a major role in our end-of-year holidays: we lead the nation in sweet potato production and are also one of the largest producers of Christmas trees, producing over 20% of the nation’s real trees. This year, in the midst of the pandemic, tree prices have risen dramatically as a result of so-called “panic buying”. If you’ve waited to pick up a tree, move quickly! Before we break for the holidays ourselves, we’d…
The Thanksgiving holiday is important to North Carolina’s agriculture, as we continue to lead in sweet potato production across the nation. Once relegated to the holidays primarily, the sweet potato has now been embraced as an important staple in healthy diets. In fact, sweet potatoes were ranked among the top ten best foods to eat regularly, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Whether you serve North Carolina’s state vegetable year-round or…
Active-duty military personnel and veterans have a significant presence in North Carolina. North Carolina is home to two major military bases—Fort Bragg (Army) and Camp Lejeune (Marine Corps)—in addition to two Marine Corps Air Stations at New River and Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. As a result, more North Carolina adults are veterans than the national average: 7.9% versus 6.9% nationwide. In 2019, nearly 642,000 veterans lived in North Carolina according to the most recent…
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