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First celebrated on February 12, 1926, Black History Week was established by American historian Carter G. Woodson to celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent. For many years, this celebration occurred during the second week of February, coinciding with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, the week was expanded into Black History Month. 2.2 million The number of black or African-American North Carolina residents on July…
May 21, 2015 update: The original post defined compliance for U.S. Congressional Districts as within +/-1%. Although the courts require adherence to equal population as much as possible, the maximum potentially accepted deviation cited elsewhere is a total spread of 1%, meaning +/- 0.5%. Following the decennial Census, political districts, such as U.S. Congressional districts and state legislative districts, are redrawn in a process called redistricting. The goal is to make each district as close…
North Carolina is now the 9th most populous state according to recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014, North Carolina gained an additional 95,047 residents to reach a population of 9.94 million, surpassing Michigan’s estimated 2014 population of 9.91 million. Some have noted that this is one of the smallest numerical increase in population the state has had since 1990. Like the nation, the combined impacts of…
Half of the 316 million people living in the United States live in one of the nation’s 145 most populous counties based on calculations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 Population Estimates. With 3,143 counties nationwide, this means that half of the U.S. population lives in just 4.6% of all counties. In North Carolina, half of the state’s nearly 10 million residents were living in 13 counties in 2013 (13% of the state’s 100 counties).…
Between 2012 and 2013, North Carolina gained nearly 100,000 new residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates. On Thursday, the Census Bureau released county-level population estimates for July 1, 2013, by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, enabling us to examine population change in even greater detail. Looking specifically at race and ethnicity, nearly one-third (32.7 percent) of the state’s population growth since 2012 was from growth in the non-Hispanic white population, which grew…
Between 2000 and 2010, North Carolina’s child population (ages 0 to 17) increased by almost 318,000 individuals. Unlike growth in the 65 and older population—which grew by more than 265,000 individuals and increased almost everywhere statewide—growth in the child population was uneven across the state. The child population shrank in 30 rural counties. The largest losses were in the eastern counties of Halifax (-2,387), Edgecombe (-1,188), and Martin (-1,098) and the western counties of Cleveland…
In the three years following the 2010 Census, North Carolina’s population grew by nearly 313,000 residents. With today’s release of the 2013 county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, we can now examine where in the state this growth occurred. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Charlotte and the Triangle accounted for 67% of NC population growth. Two-thirds of state population growth occurred in the 12 counties that make up the Charlotte and…
For more than twenty years, migration has fueled North Carolina’s growth. People move from other states and countries to go to school, to work, and to retire throughout the state. Between 1990 and 2010, North Carolina gained more than 2 million new residents due to migration. New Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2013 total population show that migration continues to drive North Carolina’s population growth: 175,000 people moved into the state since 2010, accounting…
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