The latest figures from the U.S. Census show the fastest-growing communities in the country from 2007 to 2008 are big metropolitan areas in the South and West. Leading the way: Raleigh-Cary in North Carolina and Austin-Round Rock in Texas. Explore trends and numbers here by searching a county or a metro area.
Back To Search
County
Metropolitan Area
About The Results
These Census bureau estimates were released March 18, 2009, based on information current through July 1, 2008. Metro areas contain at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population and micro areas contain at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population. Both metro and micro areas consist of one or more whole counties or county equivalents. For questions or comments, please contact Data Circle Editor Dennis Joyce at djoyce@tbo.com.
What We Found
Some highlights from the database:
- Between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2008, the fastest-growing metro area was Palm Coast, Fla., in Flagler County.
- As of July 1, 2008, the nation’s 363 metro areas contained 254.2 million people — 83.6 percent of the total population.
- Four metro areas grew by more than 100,000 people from 2007 to 2008: Dallas-Fort Worth (147,000), Houston (130,000), Phoenix (116,000) and Atlanta (115,000).
- The most populous metro areas on July 1, 2008, were New York (19 million), Los Angeles (12.9 million) and Chicago (9.6 million).
- Among counties with 10,000 or more people, 94 of the 100 with the fastest population growth from 2007 to 2008 were in the South (71 counties) or the West (23 counties).
Online Producer: Janine Dorsey/TBO.com
