As Brunswick is 'reunited' with Wilmington's metro area, here's why it matters

Renee Spencer, Wilmington StarNews
·3 min read
On July 21, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released a bulletin that places Brunswick County back in the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
On July 21, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released a bulletin that places Brunswick County back in the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Brunswick County is once again part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

On July 21, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released a bulletin with revised delineations of metropolitan, micropolitan, and combined statistical areas.

Here are four things you need to know about the move.

What statistical area was Brunswick County assigned to before?

Brunswick County has previously been a part of the Wilmington Statistical Area, but in 2009, it was separated from its Cape Fear region counterparts — New Hanover and Pender counties — and assigned to the Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. The July 21 bulletin moves the county back into the Wilmington area.

What does this mean for the area?

Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi, associate professor of economics at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and regional economist, called the re-alignment a "good development for the area," noting that the addition of Brunswick County makes the area a "larger labor market" and "highlights the connectedness across the three areas."

"This is important as it makes the area more attractive from an investment standpoint/future development and growth," Guettabi wrote in an email. "Data from the Census shows already shows that there is significant commuting between New Hanover and Brunswick and this change in designation strengthens that link by making it clear that they should be considered one large MSA as opposed to two neighboring counties with weak ties."

What do local leaders think about the move?

When Brunswick County was reassigned to the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina statistical area following the 2010 U.S. Census, many local leaders disagreed with the move. Many believed Brunswick had more common interests with New Hanover and Pender counties than it did with Myrtle Beach, a popular tourist destination with high-rise hotels located across the state line.

Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams said he was “glad to see Brunswick County finally reunited with southeastern North Carolina in the Wilmington MSA.”

“Our region of the state is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation and being in the same statistical area with other southeastern North Carolina counties is a common-sense move that will benefit our economic development efforts,” Williams said.

More on MSAs: Myrtle Beach grows fast, thanks to Brunswick

How are these areas designated?

According to the bulletin from the Office of Management and Budget, to be classified as a Metropolitan Statistical Area there must be at least one urban area with a population of 50,000 or more people, plus “adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.”

Recent U.S. Census data shows Wilmington had a population of 115,451 on April 1, 2020. During that same time period, Pender County had a population of 52,217, and Brunswick County’s population was 136,693.

When does the move become official?

The bulletin included a memorandum from Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, advising this new document “updates and supersedes” the bulletin issued on March 6, 2020, and the new delineations “take effect immediately.”

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Brunswick moves back into Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area