North Carolina Cities Continue Growth Trend
NC Cities’ Population and Growth in Top 50 Nationally
The US Census Bureau released the 2014 Annual Population Estimates for Subcounty Areas (ie towns, cities,
townships, and county balances) on Thursday, May 21, 2015.
National Ranking Highlights
Two North Carolina cities rank in the Top 50 Largest in the US:
Charlotte (809,958) is the 17th largest following Ft. Worth, TX and ahead of Detroit, MI.
Raleigh (439,896) is the 44th largest behind Colorado Springs, CO and ahead of Miami, FL.
Greensboro (67), Durham (81), and Winston-Salem (87) ranked in the Top 100 Largest Cities in the US.
Considering numeric population growth from 2013 to 2014, three North Carolina cities rank in the Top 50:
Charlotte (16,007) ranked 10th
Raleigh (8,179) ranked 26th
Durham (6,315) ranked 34th
Four North Carolina cities ranked in the Top 50 nationally in numeric population growth from 2010 to 2014:
Charlotte (71,212) ranked 9th
Raleigh (33,601) ranked 23rd
Durham (22,698) ranked 40th
Cary (18,699) ranked 47th
Of cities with populations over 100,000, four North Carolina cities had 2013-2014 growth rates in the Top 50:
Cary (2.7 %) ranked 11th with 3 other cities
Durham (2.8%) ranked 12th with 2 other cities
Charlotte (2.0%) ranked 27th with 4 other cities
Raleigh (1.9%) ranked 32nd
State Highlights
Over 1/4 of North Carolina’s population lives in the 10
largest cities of the state.
18 North Carolina cities have estimated populations over
50,000.
Population growth was strongest in towns in metropolitan
areas. 29 towns grew by at least 500 persons from 2013 to
2014, and 16 grew by at least 1,000.
Top 5 Cities in Total Population
1 Charlotte
809,958
2
Raleigh
439,896
3
Greensboro
282,586
4
Durham
251,893
5
Winston-Salem
239,269
Source: US Census Bureau, 2014 Subcounty
Population Estimates
Charlotte and Raleigh have grown by a combined 110,125 population from 2010 to 2014. Durham, Cary, and
Greensboro each grew by over 10,000 during the same time period.
Estimated Population Growth
Winston-Salem
Greensboro
Cary
Durham
Raleigh
Charlotte
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
2010-2014
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
2013-2014
Smaller population towns in metropolitan areas saw the highest rates of growth in the state.
Rolesville (24.1%) in Wake County was the 7th largest annual percent change in population in the nation, and
Waxhaw (13.2%) in Union County was 24th.
The towns with the largest annual percent increase in population also have the largest percent increase in
population from 2010 to 2014.
Top 5 Cities in Annual Percent Change
Top 5 Cities in 2010 – 2014 Percent Change
1 Rolesville (Wake)
24.1
1 Rolesville (Wake)
52.8
2 Waxhaw (Union)
13.2
2 Holly Ridge (Onlsow)
52.1
3 St. James (Brunswick)
11.7
3 St. James (Brunswick)
38.9
4 Holly Ridge (Onlsow)
10.4
4 Waxhaw (Union)
29.3
5 Fuquay-Varina (Wake)
25.9
33
5 Fuquay-Varina (Wake)
6.4
Source: US Census Bureau, 2014 Subcounty
Population Estimates
Source: US Census Bureau, 2014 Subcounty
Population Estimates
Of the cities with populations over 20,000, the seven with the
largest percent annual population increase are in Wake County.
12 cities with populations over 20,000 saw an increase in
population from 2010 to 2014 of over 10 percent. All of these
cities were in Durham, Mecklenburg, Union, or Wake Counties.
Top 5 Cities Over 20,000 in
Annual Percent Change
1 Fuquay-Varina (Wake)
6.4
2 Wake Forest (Wake)
5.5
3 Holly Springs (Wake)
4.2
4 Apex (Wake)
4.0
5 Garner (Wake)
3.8
Source: US Census Bureau, 2014 Subcounty
Population Estimates
Non-Municipal Population Highlights
The 2014 Census Bureau Subcounty Area Population Estimates also estimates population for those areas of
counties that are not within municipal boundaries. This non-municipal population is termed “rural” for
presentation purposes here.
Over half the estimated population live outside municipal boundaries in 80 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
55 counties saw their estimated percent rural population either remain stable or increase.
Rural populations in 49 counties saw estimated numeric growth from 2013 to 2014, and the rural population of
14 counties grew by over 1,000 during this period.
The estimated rural populations of Johnston, Buncombe, Chatham, Union, Wake, and Onslow Counties grew by
over 1,500 each from 2013 to 2014.
Data Access
The complete Census release of 2014 population estimates for subcounty areas is available on census.gov
through American FactFinder, QuickFacts and the Population Estimates Program Web page. In the coming
months, the Census Bureau will release 2014 population estimates of national, state and county population
estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.
This summary was produced by:
North Carolina State Data Center
North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management
20320 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0320
Phone: (919) 807-4781
Email: [email protected]