Posts written by Rebecca Tippett
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North Carolina’s population is rapidly diversifying. Since 2000, the state’s Asian population has more than doubled, increasing from 114,000 to 268,000, a growth rate of 136%. The Hispanic population has grown at a similar pace, with even more significant numeric increases. In 2000, North Carolina had 379,000 Hispanic residents. By 2015, the Hispanic population was nearly 912,000, an increase of more than half a million or 141% over fifteen years. This diversity is not fully…
As of October 1st, North Carolina had 5.6 million active, registered voters. Of these, 2.2 million or 40% were registered as a Democrat. Age Older voters are the most likely to register as a Democrat, partly reflecting the legacy of the “Solid South.” Nearly 1 in 2 voters ages 75 and older—48%—are registered Democrats compared to 35% of 18-34 year-olds, 37% of 35-54 year-olds, and 43% of voters ages 55-74. As a result, older adults…
As of October 1st, North Carolina had 5.6 million active, registered voters. Of these, 1.8 million or 31% were registered as Republican. Age Younger voters are the least likely to register as Republican, reflecting their higher affinity for registering unaffiliated. Just 25% of voters ages 18-34 are registered Republican compared to 32% of 35-54 year-olds, 34% of 55-74 year-olds, and 35% of voters ages 75 and older. As a result, older adults, especially those ages…
As of October 1st, North Carolina had 5.6 million active, registered voters. Of these, 1.6 million or 29% were registered as unaffiliated. Age Younger voters are more likely to register as unaffiliated: 39% of voters ages 18-34 are unaffiliated compared to 30% of 35-54 year-olds, 23% of 55-74 year-olds, and 17% of voters ages 75 and older. The median age of unaffiliated voters is just 43 compared to 52 for voters registered with a party.…
In his recent article about diversity in young Americans, William Frey points to “a noteworthy demographic dynamic [that] is making the young post-millennial generation more racially diverse – the absolute decline in the number of white children (persons under age 18).” This, too, is happening in North Carolina. In 2015, North Carolina had 57,000 fewer white children than in 2010, with the declines most pronounced at ages 10 and under. These declines may be partly…
“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…
With the majority of North Carolina's population growth since 1990 fueled by net in-migration, the share of residents born in other states and countries has steadily increased. According to the State Board of Elections, over 6.6 million North Carolinians were registered to vote as of September 3rd, 2016. Where were they born? In the 9/3/2016 data, 85% of voters provided information on place of birth. Half of the voters who reported their birthplace were born in North…
Working-age adults (18-64) make up the majority of migrants into and out of the state. On average, nearly 243,000 working-age adults moved into North Carolina each year between 2010 and 2014 while 175,000 moved away, an annual net gain of 68,000 working-age adults. Working-age adults who moved into or out of the state had higher educational attainment than non-migrants (individuals who either did not move or made a move within North Carolina boundaries). Sixty-eight percent of migrants had some form of postsecondary education compared to 60% of non-migrants. This difference was primarily driven by high levels of individuals reporting a bachelor's degree or higher among migrants (34% versus 26% among non-migrants). Because North Carolina has net gains from migration, the overall impact of migration is to grow the state’s workforce while also increasing its educational attainment. Every year since 2010, North Carolina has gained an average of 68,000 working-age adults. Of these, 24,000 have some college or an associate’s degree while 22,000 have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
In 2000, nearly 515,000 of the state’s 3.1 million households—16%—received retirement income. This proportion increased to 19% or 693,000 households by 2010-14, according to the American Community Survey. While the number of households receiving retirement income has increased by 178,000, a growth rate of 35%, the aggregate value of retirement income received has grown even more. Retirement income received by North Carolina households rose from $8.7 billion in 2000 to $15.1 billion by 2010-14. This…
Over at Old North State Politics (and on Twitter as @BowTiePolitics), Dr. Michael Bitzer of Catawba College has been diving into the State Board of Elections registered voter data to understand demographic and partisan trends in voter registration. In response to recent posts about generational patterns, someone asked: “What percentage of each generation remains unregistered to vote in North Carolina?” Our estimates indicate that 14% of voting-eligible Millennials (ages 18-34 in 2016) and 8% of…
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