NC in Focus
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Between 2017 and 2018, North Carolina gained nearly 113,000 new residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Looking specifically at race and ethnicity, nearly one-third (32%) of the state’s population growth since 2017 was from growth in the white population, which grew by 36,466 persons between 2017 and 2018. The state’s population of Hispanic or Latino residents had the second largest numeric increase over this period, growing by 32,355 persons (29% of statewide growth). The…
Thanksgiving is approaching, which means it's time to start thinking about your dinner table conversations. If you're celebrating Thanksgiving in North Carolina -- or sharing your table with someone from the Tar Heel state -- you can start by looking down at your plate. North Carolina is not only the top producer of sweet potatoes in the United States, but also ranks as one of the top turkey-producing states. Here are a few fun facts…
Ed note: Though we cover a range of demographic topics, we hold a special spot in our hearts for our annual report on NC's state vegetable, the humble sweet potato. Previous coverage: 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014. Happy Thanksgiving! Because of back-to-back hurricanes, North Carolina sweet potato production hit a five-year low in 2018. This is a serious consequence of extreme weather, as sweet potatoes are among North Carolina’s most lucrative agricultural exports, contributing more than…
Active-duty military personnel and veterans have a significant presence in North Carolina. North Carolina is home to two major military bases—Fort Bragg (Army) and Camp Lejeune (Marine Corps)—in addition to two Marine Corps Air Stations at New River and Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. As a result, more North Carolina adults are veterans than the national average: 8.3% versus 7.1% nationwide. In 2018, just over 667,000 veterans lived in North Carolina according…
In previous posts, we have highlighted the programs of study where NC Community College graduates and UNC system graduates were making the highest average annual wages five years after graduation. This post examines the programs of study and credentials associated with the highest growth in wages over a 10-year period for both NC Community Colleges and UNC system graduates [1]. In terms of making decisions about a future career, wage growth is another data point that a…
As in previous years, the municipalities with the fastest and/or largest single-year of growth from 2017 to 2018 tended to cluster around North Carolina’s largest metro areas. This year, however, growth was not nearly as dominant in the Charlotte and Triangle metropolitan areas, and municipalities around Wilmington had greater representation. Last year, seven of the top ten fastest-growing municipalities from 2016 to 2017 were located in the Triangle metro—six in Wake County and one in…
This is the third installment of a three-part series looking at migration in and out of North Carolina. Read the first and second posts in the series to learn where NC's residents are moving from and which NC counties are experiencing the largest population increases due to net migration. In 2017, nearly 367,000 people moved to North Carolina from another state or country and nearly 281,000 North Carolina residents moved out of the state. We’ve…
This is the second post in a three-post series looking at in-migration and out-migration in North Carolina. Read the first post in the series, "NC is rapidly growing. Where are our new residents moving from?" Between 2017 and 2018, North Carolina grew by nearly 87,000 new residents from net in-migration from other states and countries. But that growth was concentrated in several areas within the state. Today, we’re looking at which NC counties have seen…
North Carolina’s population has grown by 848,000 new residents, or 8.9%, since the 2010 Census, rising to 10.4 million residents as of 2018. The state’s annual growth slowed during the Great Recession of 2008 and subsequent recovery period but began to accelerate mid-decade. Since 2015, North Carolina has averaged more than 110,000 new residents each year. Most of this growth is from net migration, meaning more people are moving to our state than those who…
North Carolina’s Hispanic population is nearing 1 million, with 997,000 residents in 2018. The state’s Hispanic/Latino population grew from just over 75,000 in 1990 to 800,000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that North Carolina’s Hispanic population grew by 197,000 new residents, an increase of 24.6%, faster than the growth of this population nationwide (18.6%). More than one in four NC Latino residents live in two counties: Mecklenburg (148K) or Wake (113K).
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