From the U.S. Census:
Counties with the largest numeric growth are all located in the south and the west, with counties in Texas taking four out of the top 10 spots according to new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today.
By metropolitan area, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, had the largest numeric growth with a gain of 131,767 (1.8 percent) in 2018, followed by Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. with an increase of 96,268 (2.0 percent). Migration, both domestic and international, as well as natural increase contributed to the growth in each of these areas, with natural increase serving as the largest source of population growth in Dallas and domestic migration serving as the largest source in Phoenix. “One interesting trend we are seeing this year is that metro areas not among the most populous are ranked in the top 10 for population growth,” said Sandra Johnson, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “Though no new metro areas moved into the top 10 largest areas, Phoenix, Seattle, Austin, and Orlando all experienced numeric increases in population since 2010, rivaling growth in areas with much larger populations. This trend is consistent with the overall growth we are seeing in the south and the west.”
Among counties with a population of 20,000 or more, Williams County, N.D., was the fastest-growing county by percentage, increasing by 5.9 percent between 2017 and 2018 (from 33,395 to 35,350). The rapid growth Williams County, N.D., experienced was due mainly to net domestic migration (1,471) in 2018. The county also grew between 2017 and 2018 by natural increase (427) and international migration (52).
Of the other nine fastest-growing counties, all experienced positive domestic migration. All but Brunswick, N.C., and Hood, Texas, experienced growth through natural increase (having more births than deaths), and only Brunswick, N.C., had negative net international migration.
The statistics released today provide population estimates, rankings and components of change for the nation’s 390 metropolitan statistical areas, 555 micropolitan statistical areas, and 3,142 counties, as well as population estimates and rankings for Puerto Rico’s 78 municipios.
Additional Highlights
Counties
Growth and decline:
- Out of 3,142 counties, 1,739 (55.3 percent) gained population between 2017 and 2018. Twelve counties (0.4 percent) experienced no change in population during this time, while the remaining 1,391 (44.3 percent) lost population.
- Between 2010 and 2018, 1,481 (47.1 percent) counties gained population and 1,661 (52.9 percent) lost population.
Natural increase:
- Out of 3,142 counties, 1,757 (55.9 percent) counties experienced natural increase in 2018. This is down from 1,858 (59.1 percent) in 2017.
Total net migration:
- Out of 3,142 counties, 1,640 (52.2 percent) counties showed positive total net migration in 2018, meaning more people moved into the county than moved out. This is roughly equivalent to the number of counties with positive net migration in 2017 (1,641 or 52.2 percent).
Municipios
- Between 2017 and 2018, all 78 municipios in Puerto Rico decreased in population. Between 2010 and 2018, all but one municipio lost population. Gurabo Municipio increased from 45,371 in 2010 to 46,068 in 2018, a gain of 697 residents (1.5 percent).
- The largest numeric population decreases between 2017 and 2018 were in San Juan Municipio at -15,123 (-4.5 percent), followed by Bayamón Municipio (-8,013; -4.5 percent) and Ponce Municipio (-6,705; -4.8 percent).
- Among municipios with a population of 20,000 or more, the largest percent population decreases between 2017 and 2018 were in Lares Municipio at -4.8 percent (-1,242), followed by Ponce Municipio (-6,705; -4.8 percent) and Fajardo Municipio (-1,456; -4.7 percent).
Metropolitan Areas
Growth:
- Two of the 10 fastest-growing metro areas in 2018 are in Texas: Midland, Texas (first), with a growth of 4.3 percent (7,383) and Odessa, Texas (fifth), with a growth of 3.2 percent (4,951). Positive domestic migration contributed to the growth in both areas. Florida and Utah also each contains two of the fastest-growing metro areas in 2018.
Decline:
- Of the 390 metro areas within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 102 (26.2 percent) experienced population decline in 2018.
- All metro areas within Puerto Rico decreased between 2017 and 2018, including Ponce, Puerto Rico (-4.6 percent); Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (-4.3 percent); Aguadilla-Isabela, Puerto Rico (-4.0 percent); San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, Puerto Rico (-3.9 percent); and Guayama, Puerto Rico (-3.8 percent).
- The five fastest-decreasing metro areas (excluding those within Puerto Rico) were Charleston, W.Va. (-1.6 percent); Pine Bluff, Ark. (-1.5 percent); Farmington, N.M. (-1.5 percent); Danville, Ill. (-1.2 percent); and Watertown-Fort Drum, N.Y. (-1.2 percent). The population decreases were primarily due to negative net domestic migration.
Micropolitan Areas
Of the 555 micropolitan areas, 267 (48.1 percent) gained population between 2017 and 2018. Since 2010, 256 (46.1 percent) have gained population.
In the coming months, the Census Bureau will release 2018 population estimates for cities and towns, national, state- and county-level housing unit estimates, as well as national, state and county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.
Table 1. Top 10 Most Populous Counties: 2018
State County April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 California Los Angeles County 9,818,672 10,118,759 10,105,518 Illinois Cook County 5,195,026 5,204,502 5,180,493 Texas Harris County 4,093,188 4,664,159 4,698,619 Arizona Maricopa County 3,817,359 4,329,580 4,410,824 California San Diego County 3,095,349 3,325,468 3,343,364 California Orange County 3,010,274 3,179,950 3,185,968 Florida Miami-Dade County 2,498,013 2,744,878 2,761,581 Texas Dallas County 2,366,683 2,622,799 2,637,772 New York Kings County 2,504,717 2,596,385 2,582,830 California Riverside County 2,189,765 2,417,224 2,450,758
Table 2. Top 10 Counties in Numeric Growth: 2017 to 2018
Rank State County April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Numeric Growth 1 Arizona Maricopa County 3,817,359 4,329,580 4,410,824 81,244 2 Nevada Clark County 1,951,271 2,183,310 2,231,647 48,337 3 Texas Harris County 4,093,188 4,664,159 4,698,619 34,460 4 Texas Collin County 782,220 971,393 1,005,146 33,753 5 California Riverside County 2,189,765 2,417,224 2,450,758 33,534 6 Washington King County 1,931,292 2,204,229 2,233,163 28,934 7 Florida Orange County 1,145,954 1,352,933 1,380,645 27,712 8 Texas Tarrant County 1,810,655 2,057,468 2,084,931 27,463 9 Texas Bexar County 1,714,772 1,958,841 1,986,049 27,208 10 Florida Hillsborough County 1,229,178 1,410,115 1,436,888 26,773
Table 3. Top 10 Counties in Percentage Growth: 2017 to 2018
(For counties that were greater than or equal to 20,000 people in 2017 and 2018)
Rank State County April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Percent Growth 1 North Dakota Williams County 22,399 33,395 35,350 5.9 2 Texas Comal County 108,485 140,790 148,373 5.4 3 Texas Kaufman County 103,363 122,845 128,622 4.7 4 North Carolina Brunswick County 107,429 130,735 136,744 4.6 5 Florida Walton County 55,043 68,275 71,375 4.5 6 Texas Midland County 136,872 165,386 172,578 4.3 7 Florida Osceola County 268,683 352,661 367,990 4.3 8 Florida St. Johns County 190,034 243,928 254,261 4.2 9 Texas Hood County 51,163 58,154 60,537 4.1 10 Georgia Jackson County 60,457 67,716 70,422 4.0
Table 4. Top 10 Counties in Numeric Growth: 2010 to 2018
State County April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Numeric Growth Texas Harris County 4,093,188 4,664,159 4,698,619 605,431 Arizona Maricopa County 3,817,359 4,329,580 4,410,824 593,465 Washington King County 1,931,292 2,204,229 2,233,163 301,871 California Los Angeles County 9,818,672 10,118,759 10,105,518 286,846 Nevada Clark County 1,951,271 2,183,310 2,231,647 280,376 Texas Tarrant County 1,810,655 2,057,468 2,084,931 274,276 Texas Bexar County 1,714,772 1,958,841 1,986,049 271,277 Texas Dallas County 2,366,683 2,622,799 2,637,772 271,089 Florida Miami-Dade County 2,498,013 2,744,878 2,761,581 263,568 California Riverside County 2,189,765 2,417,224 2,450,758 260,993
Table 5. Top 10 Counties in Percentage Growth: 2010 to 2018
(For counties that were greater than or equal to 20,000 people in 2017 and 2018)
Rank State County April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Percent Growth 1 North Dakota Williams County 22,399 33,395 35,350 57.8 2 Texas Hays County 157,099 214,277 222,631 41.7 3 Utah Wasatch County 23,525 31,975 33,240 41.3 4 Florida Sumter County 93,420 124,933 128,754 37.8 5 Florida Osceola County 268,683 352,661 367,990 37.0 6 Texas Comal County 108,485 140,790 148,373 36.8 7 Texas Kendall County 33,411 43,984 45,641 36.6 8 Iowa Dallas County 66,138 87,215 90,180 36.4 9 Georgia Forsyth County 175,511 228,588 236,612 34.8 10 Texas Fort Bend County 584,690 766,136 787,858 34.7
Table 6. Top 10 Most Populous Metropolitan Areas: 2018
Rank Name April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 1 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 19,566,527 19,998,951 19,979,477 2 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 12,828,946 13,298,709 13,291,486 3 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,461,539 9,520,784 9,498,716 4 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,426,222 7,407,944 7,539,711 5 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,920,487 6,905,695 6,997,384 6 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,636,363 6,200,001 6,249,950 7 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 5,566,294 6,149,687 6,198,782 8 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 5,965,705 6,078,451 6,096,372 9 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,286,750 5,874,249 5,949,951 10 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 4,552,598 4,844,597 4,875,390
Table 7. Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Numeric Growth: 2017 to 2018
Rank Name April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Numeric Growth 1 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,426,222 7,407,944 7,539,711 131,767 2 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,193,127 4,761,694 4,857,962 96,268 3 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,920,487 6,905,695 6,997,384 91,689 4 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,286,750 5,874,249 5,949,951 75,702 5 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2,134,402 2,512,917 2,572,962 60,045 6 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3,439,805 3,884,469 3,939,363 54,894 7 Austin-Round Rock, TX 1,716,321 2,115,230 2,168,316 53,086 8 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4,224,966 4,570,427 4,622,361 51,934 9 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 2,783,462 3,091,225 3,142,663 51,438 10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,636,363 6,200,001 6,249,950 49,949
Table 8. Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Percentage Growth: 2017 to 2018
Rank Name April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Percent Growth 1 Midland, TX 141,671 170,948 178,331 4.3 2 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 376,555 463,386 480,891 3.8 3 St. George, UT 138,115 165,859 171,700 3.5 4 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 602,098 685,830 708,009 3.2 5 Odessa, TX 137,136 157,173 162,124 3.2 6 The Villages, FL 93,420 124,933 128,754 3.1 7 Greeley, CO 252,847 305,274 314,305 3.0 8 Boise City, ID 616,566 710,080 730,426 2.9 9 Bend-Redmond, OR 157,730 186,807 191,996 2.8 10 Provo-Orem, UT 526,885 617,751 633,768 2.6
Table 9. Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Numeric Growth: 2010 to 2018
Rank Name April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Numeric Growth 1 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,426,222 7,407,944 7,539,711 1,113,489 2 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,920,487 6,905,695 6,997,384 1,076,897 3 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,193,127 4,761,694 4,857,962 664,835 4 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,286,750 5,874,249 5,949,951 663,201 5 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 5,566,294 6,149,687 6,198,782 632,488 6 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 5,636,363 6,200,001 6,249,950 613,587 7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3,439,805 3,884,469 3,939,363 499,558 8 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 12,828,946 13,298,709 13,291,486 462,540 9 Austin-Round Rock, TX 1,716,321 2,115,230 2,168,316 451,995 10 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2,134,402 2,512,917 2,572,962 438,560
Table 10. Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Percentage Growth: 2010 to 2018
Rank Name April 1, 2010
(Estimates base)July 1, 2017 July 1, 2018 Percent Growth 1 The Villages, FL 93,420 124,933 128,754 37.8 2 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 376,555 463,386 480,891 27.7 3 Austin-Round Rock, TX 1,716,321 2,115,230 2,168,316 26.3 4 Midland, TX 141,671 170,948 178,331 25.9 5 St. George, UT 138,115 165,859 171,700 24.3 6 Greeley, CO 252,847 305,274 314,305 24.3 7 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 618,754 739,506 754,610 22.0 8 Bend-Redmond, OR 157,730 186,807 191,996 21.7 9 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2,134,402 2,512,917 2,572,962 20.5 10 Raleigh, NC 1,130,488 1,334,342 1,362,540 20.5 Direct to Source Data
Tables
Table 1: Top 10 Most Populous Counties: 2018Table 2: Top 10 Counties in Numeric Growth: 2017 to 2018Table 3: Top 10 Counties in Percentage Growth: 2017 to 2018Table 4: Top 10 Counties in Numeric Growth: CumulativeTable 5: Top 10 Counties in Percentage Growth: CumulativeTable 6: Top 10 Most Populous Metropolitan Areas: 2018Table 7: Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Numeric Growth: 2017 to 2018Table 8: Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Percentage Growth: 2017 to 2018Table 9: Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Numeric Growth: CumulativeTable 10: Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Percentage Growth: CumulativeDetailed Tables
Total Population and Change for Counties
Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 – State — County / County EquivalentCumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 – State — County / County EquivalentResident Population Estimates for the 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties with 10,000 or More Population in 2017: July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 – United States — CountyResident Population Estimates for the 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties with 10,000 or More Population in 2010: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 – United States — CountyTotal Population and Change for Metropolitan Areas
Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 – United States — Metropolitan Statistical Area; and for Puerto RicoCumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 – United States — Metropolitan Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico
Total Population and Change for Combined Statistical Areas
Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 – United States — Combined Statistical Area; and for Puerto RicoCumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 – United States — Combined Statistical Area; and for Puerto RicoTotal Population for All Geographies
Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018Components of Change (Births, Deaths and Migration) for All Geographie
About Gary Price
