Carolina Demographics
Keep up with our latest demographic insights
North and South Carolina have grown significantly faster than the nation since 2000, and their growth is projected to continue. This population growth has not occurred evenly across the counties, however, and the coming decade will likely show sharpening distinctions in population growth patterns. Here’s a quick look at what is projected to occur in the Carolinas during this decade (2010-2020) and what current population estimates can tell us about population growth in these states.…
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…
“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…
The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey contains detailed data about our nation’s veterans, their demographic characteristics, their social lives, and their economic well-being. This is the data we have used in previous snapshots of North Carolina’s veterans (here and here). Additional data on the veteran population is produced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA produces projections of the veteran population through 2043. In addition to total veteran population, they provide…
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…
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.…
The Census Bureau is already planning for the decennial Census on April 1, 2020. This will be the largest enumeration in American history, as the U.S. population has continued to grow steadily since 2010. 2020 is also on the horizon for the major political parties. The outcome of state and local elections on November 3, 2020, will determine who is in office during the post-enumeration process known as reapportionment and redistricting. One time each decade, seats…
“America’s shrinking cities are widely viewed to be suffering from a “brain drain”—the flight of highly educated residents to other, more hospitable locales—that is crippling these cities’ economic competitiveness. While such cities have many problems, brain drain as popularly conceived is not one of them. Indeed, the conventional wisdom on brain drain and declining human capital in shrinking U.S. metropolitan areas is largely a myth: brain gain, not drain, is the reality…. …even major U.S.…
Monday, September 15th, through Wednesday, October 15th, marks National Hispanic Heritage Month. North Carolina’s Hispanic population grew from fewer than 77,000 residents in 1990 to nearly 867,000 in 2013. Between 1990 and 2010, the majority of population growth was due to net migration. As a consequence, the most common birthplace for North Carolina Hispanics was Mexico. In 2000, nearly half (47.4%) of North Carolina’s Hispanic residents were Mexican-born. As the Hispanic population settled in the state,…
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…
Your support is critical to our mission of measuring, understanding, and predicting population change and its impact. Donate to Carolina Demography today.