North Carolina Becomes Ninth State With 10 Million or More People, Census Bureau Reports
North Carolina Becomes Ninth State With 10 Million or More People, Census Bureau Reports
DEC.
22, 2015 — By adding an average of 281 people per day during the
last year, North Carolina’s population crossed the 10 million mark, making the
state the ninth in that category, according to U.S. Census Bureau state
population estimates released today.
North Carolina’s population gain over the
July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015, period ranked it behind only Texas, Florida,
California, Georgia and Washington.
Notably, Florida added more people than
California for the first time in nearly a decade. Florida’s gain of 365,703
people also pushed it past 20 million, becoming the third state to reach that
milestone. California continued to be the most populous state on July 1, 2015,
with 39.1 million, followed by Texas with 27.5 million.
North Dakota was the nation’s
fastest-growing state or equivalent over the last year, for the fourth year in
a row. Its population increased 2.3 percent, followed by 1.9 percent growth in Colorado,
the District of Columbia and Nevada. Each of the 10 fastest-growing states was
in the South or West with the exception of North Dakota.
Seven states lost population between July
1, 2014, and July 1, 2015: Illinois (22,194 or -0.17 percent), West Virginia (4,623
or -0.25 percent), Connecticut (3,876 or -0.11 percent), Mississippi (1,110 or
-0.04 percent), Maine (928 or -0.07 percent), Vermont (725 or -0.12 percent)
and New Mexico (458 or -0.02 percent).
The United States as a whole saw its
population increase by 0.79 percent over the period to 321.4 million, slightly
faster than the rate of growth over the previous one-year period (0.78 percent).
In addition to the 50 states and the
District of Columbia, the new statistics also include estimates for Puerto
Rico. On July 1, 2015, Puerto
Rico had an estimated population of 3.5 million, a decline of 60,706, or 1.7
percent, from one year earlier.
The Census Bureau produces population estimates each year,
allowing the public to gauge the growth and demographic composition of the nation,
states and communities. These statistics use administrative
data to estimate population change between census years, using the decennial
census count as a starting point. Local governments use estimates to locate
services, and the private sector uses them to locate businesses.
The Census Bureau also released today
estimates of the number
of people 18 and older in the U.S., states and Puerto Rico. The
downloadable file also includes total population and the percentage of people
18 and older. In 2015, there were 247.8 million voting-age residents in the
U.S., comprising 77.1 percent of the nation’s population. Internet address: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/datasets.html.
During 2016, the Census Bureau will release
estimates of the 2015 population of counties, cities and towns, and
metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas as well as national, state and
county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin. Population
estimates for Puerto Rico and its municipios by age and sex will be released as
well.
The 10
Most Populous States on July 1, 2015
RankStatePopulation
1California39,144,818
2Texas27,469,114
3Florida20,271,272
4New York19,795,791
5Illinois12,859,995
6Pennsylvania12,802,503
7Ohio11,613,423
8Georgia10,214,860
9North Carolina10,042,802
10Michigan9,922,576
The 10
Fastest-Growing States from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015
RankStatePercent Change
1 North
Dakota2.28
2Colorado1.89
3District of Columbia1.88
4Nevada1.85
5Florida1.84
6Texas1.82
7Utah1.75
8Washington1.52
9Arizona1.48
10Oregon1.45
The 10
States with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015
RankStateNumeric Increase
1 Texas490,036
2Florida365,703
3California352,527
4Georgia117,728
5Washington107,185
6North Carolina102,415
7Colorado100,986
8Arizona99,282
9South Carolina66,986
10Oregon57,775
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The Census Bureau develops state population estimates by measuring
population change since the most recent census. The Census Bureau uses births,
deaths, administrative records and survey data to develop estimates of
population. For more details regarding the methodology, see <http://www.census.gov/popest/methodology/index.html>.