Wilmington, N.C- The numbers don’t lie. There is additional evidence that North Carolina is growing in popularity, attracting more and more Americans to pack up their lives and move here from other states.
You are probably somewhat familiar with the census process that takes place every ten years. At the start of each decade the US Census Bureau releases data on which states have grown in population, and which states have seen a dip in its number of residents. That data is then used to figure out how many members each state gets in the House of Representatives.
What you may not be familiar with is a similar, but smaller report, that is put out by the Census Bureau every year. The most recent version of this annual report was released in December-showing North Carolina is now the third fastest growing state.
From the period July 1, 2021 to June 30th 2022 North Carolina gained nearly 133,088 new residents. Only Texas and Florida added more residents in the last year. The Census Bureau reports that the vast majority of new residents in North Carolina, about 100,000, were people migrating from other states. The rest were either new births or people moving from foreign locations.
| Rank | Geographic Area | July 1, 2021 | July 1, 2022 | Numeric Growth |
| 1 | Texas | 29,558,864 | 30,029,572 | 470,708 |
| 2 | Florida | 21,828,069 | 22,244,823 | 416,754 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 10,565,885 | 10,698,973 | 133,088 |
| 4 | Georgia | 10,788,029 | 10,912,876 | 124,847 |
| 5 | Arizona | 7,264,877 | 7,359,197 | 94,320 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 5,193,266 | 5,282,634 | 89,368 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 6,968,351 | 7,051,339 | 82,988 |
| 8 | Washington | 7,740,745 | 7,785,786 | 45,041 |
| 9 | Utah | 3,339,113 | 3,380,800 | 41,687 |
| 10 | Idaho | 1,904,314 | 1,939,033 | 34,719 |
The state’s population now stands at 10.7 million making it the ninth most populous state in the U.S.
Inside North Carolina, Raleigh edged out Charlotte as the fastest growing metropolitan area. Raleigh metro saw an annual increase to its population of 3.6% while the Charlotte metro population increased by 2.8%.
However, those numbers may be unfair to Wilmington and its surrounding areas. Officially, the Wilmington metro population increased by 1.6% in the last year. But the US Census Bureau does not consider Brunswick County – the second fastest growing county in the state – to be part of the Wilmington metropolitan area. Instead all of Brunswick County’s growth is credited under the Myrtle Beach metro area.
Last year Brunswick County grew in population by 2.1%. Had those numbers been added to the Wilmington metro growth, it’s likely Wilmington would have edged out Raleigh as the fastest growing part of the state.
“Certainty, those bragging rights are important inside the state,” said Scott Saxton of Just For Buyers Realty, “But when you look at the big picture, the story is people are discovering all of North Carolina. They want to live here. They want to retire here. They’re discovering our beautiful coastline, our mild winters, the mountains and our big cities. Many of us have moved here from other places, and we understand why so many people are attracted to this part of the country. I don’t think the growth is going to slow down any time soon.”