North Carolina’s population surpasses 10 million

North Carolina added an average of 281 people per day between 2014 and 2015, pushing its total population above 10 million in the U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released state population estimates. North Carolina is the ninth state to pass the 10 million mark. Since the 2010 Census, North Carolina’s population has grown by over half a million new residents (507,110), more than any state except for Texas (2.3M), California (1.9M), Florida (1.5M), and Georgia (526K).…

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NC in Focus: Increasing Educational Attainment

By on 12.10.15 in Education

With the release of the 2010-2014 American Community Survey estimates last week, data users can now compare two non-overlapping five year time periods. One trend apparent in the data is the steady increase in educational attainment: between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014, the percentage of the population age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased in 1,000 of the nation’s 3,142 counties. Among North Carolinians ages 25 and older, 27.8% had a bachelor’s degree…

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2010-14 American Community Survey estimates released

Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released the most recent 5-year American Community Survey estimates (2010-14). This data is available for all geographies down to the block group level. Although the Census Bureau has been releasing new 5-year data sets every year since 2010, this one is important: it is the first non-overlapping 5-year data set. Users can now compare estimates from 2005-2009 and 2010-2014 to get a better sense of how their communities have changed. All data…

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NC in Focus: American Indian and Alaska Native Population, 2014

“The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, getting endorsements from 24 state governments, to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994.” – U.S. Census Bureau on the history of…

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Who Counts Overseas? Reapportionment & Interstate Conflict

States typically benefit from having as much representation in Congress as possible. Each state is guaranteed two Senators, but the number of representatives each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives is based on population size. Representatives are reapportioned to the states every ten years, following the release of population counts from the decennial census. As the number of seats in the House of Representatives is fixed at 435, any change in the number…

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2020 Reapportionment Will Shift Political Power South and West

December 21, 2017: This post provides an updated look at potential 2020 reapportionment shifts based on the July 1, 2017 population estimates. Every decade, following the decennial Census, the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are allocated to the 50 states on the basis of their population. After the 2000 Census, 12 House seats shifted between 18 states. Ten states lost at least one representative while eight states gained at least one representative.…

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North Carolina County Population, 1920 to 2030

Between 1920 and 2010, North Carolina's population increased from 2.6 million residents to more than 9.5 million residents. With nearly 80,700 residents in 1920, Mecklenburg was the state's most populous county then as it is today. But in 1920, Mecklenburg only held 3.2% of the state's population compared to its current share of 10 percent. This share is projected to increase to nearly 12% by 2030. The video below highlights shifts in North Carolina population across…

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NC in Focus: Commuting by Carpooling

By on 9.10.15 in Transportation

Nearly 440,000 or 10.4% of all North Carolina workers carpool to work according to the 2009-2013 American Community Survey estimates. Nationally, 9.8% of workers carpooled. North Carolina has the 15th highest rate of carpooling among the states. Many counties have a higher rate of carpooling than the state average; many of these counties are smaller counties. Hyde County has the highest rate of carpooling: 22% of its 2,050 workers report commuting to work via carpool.…

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NC in Focus: Commuting by Public Transportation

North Carolina’s 4.2 million workers mainly get to work by car: 81% drive alone and 10% carpool. Working at home (4.4%) and walking (1.8%) are the next most common means of transportation according to the 2009-13 American Community Survey. Only about 1.2% or 50,000 individuals use public transportation to get to work (including taxicabs). North Carolina has the 32nd highest share of workers using public transportation to commute to work. Excluding taxi users, nearly 46,000 North Carolinians or 1.1%…

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County-to-County Commuting by Work County

By on 8.31.15 in Transportation

The other week, we looked at where county residents work. Today we’re using the same 2009-2013 American Community Survey estimates to examine where county workers live. According to the ACS, there were 4.23 million individuals working in North Carolina. The vast majority of these workers – 4.12 million or 97.4%—were also North Carolina residents. Nearly 65,000 of the state’s workers live in South Carolina (1.5% of NC workers) and 17,000 workers commute from Virginia (0.4%…

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