Latest census numbers show which NC counties grew and which shrank since the pandemic
North Carolina’s two largest counties are still attracting lots of new residents, accounting for more than a quarter of the state’s population growth since 2020, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
But the pace of growth continues to be highest in coastal and suburban counties, which have grown by 10% or more in three years. Meanwhile, during that time, nearly one in five counties, mostly in the agricultural east, have lost population.
Overall, North Carolina added 396,032 residents to its population between April 1, 2020, and last July 1, according to the Census Bureau. That’s a growth rate of 3.8%.
More than 109,000 of those additional residents are in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, where the cities of Raleigh and Charlotte anchor economies that continue to produce jobs and attract newcomers. Wake grew 5.4% over those three years to remain North Carolina’s largest county with nearly 1.2 million residents.
Durham County grew by a more modest 3.7% and Orange by 1.3%. Chatham County, fueled by large developments such as Chatham Park, grew 7%, making it the 12th fastest growing county since 2020.
The populations of Brunswick, Pender and Currituck counties along the coast grew at a faster clip than any other. Brunswick, south of Wilmington, led at 17%, followed by Pender at 13.8% and Currituck, near the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, at 12.4%.
Not far behind were Franklin and Johnston counties, just outside Wake, and Lincoln County near Charlotte. Johnston has been among the fastest growing counties in the state for decades, as residents and businesses from the Triangle follow Interstate 40 and U.S. 70 into the country. More recently, the same is happening up U.S. 1 and U.S. 401 in Franklin.
Eighteen counties lost population between 2020 and last summer, according to the Census Bureau. Twelve of them were east of I-95, where a changing farm economy and declines in traditional manufacturing have fueled a long-term decrease in population.
NC’s metropolitan areas growing quickly
North Carolina’s two largest metro areas are among the fastest growing in the nation since 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
The population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area grew 5.65%, the 10th highest rate in the nation. As of last July 1, an estimated 2,368,947 people lived in the 10-county region, according to the Census Bureau.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte-Concord combined statistical area, which includes three counties in South Carolina, grew 4.79%, ranking 16th. An estimated 3,387,115 people lived there, making it the 19th most populous metro area in the country.
And the country’s fastest growing metro area since 2020? That would be Myrtle Beach-Conway in South Carolina, which grew 11.77% to 463,209 residents.
