Keep up with our latest demographic insights
North Carolina’s population grew by 112,000 between 2015 and 2016, the largest single year increase since 2010, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. With a growth rate of 1.1%, North Carolina’s 2015-16 growth was faster than the national growth rate (0.7%) and similar to the South’s regional rate (1.1%). Overall, North Carolina’s population has grown by 611,000 since 2010, an increase of 6.4%. The uptick in population growth was fueled by an…
“Minorities comprise more than half of the millennial populations in 10 states, including Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey. In 10 additional states, including New York, Illinois, Virginia, North and South Carolina, minorities comprise more than 40 percent of millennial residents. Other states have whiter millennial populations, but only nine states are home to largely (over 80 percent) white millennial populations (e.g. Wyoming, Iowa, West Virginia, and Maine).” – William Frey, Diversity defines the…
Nationally, 22.2% of businesses with paid employees had been operating for no more than three years as of 2014. In North Carolina, this proportion is slightly lower: 20.8% or just over 32,000 of the state’s 154,000 firms were younger businesses, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s first Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs. In contrast, North Carolina had an above average proportion of long-established businesses: 6% of North Carolina businesses with paid employees…
The U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2015, population estimates revealed significant differences in population growth by age group, highlighting major impacts of population aging since 2010. There were also differences in state-by-state population growth. For example, more than half of states reported fewer working-age adults and fewer children in 2015 than in 2010. At the same time, every state saw large increases in the size of their 65+ populations. This post highlights some of the major age…
In 2015, Charlotte and Raleigh were among both the top 50 largest cities in the United States and the top 50 in numeric population growth since 2010, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. As of July 1, 2015: Charlotte (827,097) was the 17th largest city in the United States, following Ft. Worth, TX, and ahead of Seattle, WA. It had the 9th largest numeric growth between 2010 and 2015, gaining more than…
North Carolina’s population grew by 5.3% between 2010 and 2015, faster than the national growth rate of 4.1%. Nationwide, this was the 15th fastest growth rate among the states. Seven of the 15 fastest-growing states were southern states (a U.S. Census Bureau regional definition that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia), six were western states, such as Colorado and Utah, and two—North and South Dakota—were Midwestern. Among the 17 southern states, North Carolina…
Fifty-six percent of North Carolina residents (5.66 million) live in one of the state’s 553 cities, towns, and villages. Although five of the state’s municipalities are among the nation’s 100 largest cities—Charlotte (17), Raleigh (42), Greensboro (68), Durham (79), and Winston-Salem (88)—most are small. Half of North Carolina municipalities have fewer than 1,620 residents; nearly one in four have fewer than 500 residents. The majority of these places cities experienced population losses or slow growth…
What language do you speak at home? Nearly one million North Carolinians reported speaking a language other than English at home, representing 11% or 1 in 9 state residents age 5 and older. Recently released tables from the U.S. Census Bureau provide detail on up to 380 unique languages and language groups spoken in states and select metro areas and counties based on the 2009-2013 American Community Survey. Non-English speakers are concentrated in the state’s…
North Carolina officially passed the 10 million mark in the 2015 state population estimates, growing by more than half a million new residents since 2010. New county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau highlight how counties and metropolitan areas changed over this same time period. Here are 5 things you should you need to know about the 2015 county population estimates: 1. Brunswick is the fastest growing North Carolina county. Coastal Brunswick County’s population…
When I moved into my first office at UNC, I inherited a framed, infographic poster published by the News & Observer after the release of the 2000 Census data. It’s a great overview of the significant growth and change that occurred in North Carolina between 1990 and 2000, and highlights many trends that continued in the decade that followed. One of these shifts was the increasing concentration of population in mid-size towns and larger cities.…
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