NC growth over last decade entirely from adult population
Published August 19, 2021
Between 2010 and 2020, North Carolina’s population grew by 903,905 individuals, an increase of 9.5%, faster than the national growth rate of 7.3%. Over that same period, North Carolina’s:
* child population grew by 2,654, an increase of 0.1%
* adult population grew by 901,251, an increase of 12.4%
Nationally, the child population shrank by 1.1 million (-1.4%) and the adult population grew by 23.8 million (+10.1%). In Georgia, a state with similar overall population size and growth rate to North Carolina, the child population grew by just 82 individuals between the 2010 and 2020 censuses.
Where did the child population growth the most?
The child population increased in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The states with the largest numeric increases in the child population between 2010 and 2020 were Texas (413K), Florida (197K), Washington (99K), Utah (77K), and Colorado (39K). The child population grew the fastest in North Dakota (22%), followed by the District of Columbia (13%), Utah (9%), Idaho (8%), and South Dakota (7%).
1.1 million fewer children in 2020
Growth and change in child (0-17) population, by state, 2010-2020
Name | 2010 | 2020 | Numeric Change | Percent Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 74,181,467 | 73,106,000 | −1,075,467 | −1.5% |
New Hampshire | 287,234 | 256,849 | −30,385 | −10.6% |
Illinois | 3,129,179 | 2,813,039 | −316,140 | −10.1% |
Connecticut | 817,015 | 736,717 | −80,298 | −9.8% |
Mississippi | 755,555 | 683,680 | −71,875 | −9.5% |
Vermont | 129,233 | 118,595 | −10,638 | −8.2% |
Maine | 274,533 | 252,274 | −22,259 | −8.1% |
Michigan | 2,344,068 | 2,162,729 | −181,339 | −7.7% |
New Mexico | 518,672 | 478,533 | −40,139 | −7.7% |
West Virginia | 387,418 | 360,784 | −26,634 | −6.9% |
Rhode Island | 223,956 | 209,785 | −14,171 | −6.3% |
California | 9,295,040 | 8,711,118 | −583,922 | −6.3% |
Pennsylvania | 2,792,155 | 2,649,152 | −143,003 | −5.1% |
Ohio | 2,730,751 | 2,591,886 | −138,865 | −5.1% |
New York | 4,324,929 | 4,113,114 | −211,815 | −4.9% |
Wisconsin | 1,339,492 | 1,281,418 | −58,074 | −4.3% |
Alaska | 187,378 | 179,388 | −7,990 | −4.3% |
Massachusetts | 1,418,923 | 1,366,194 | −52,729 | −3.7% |
Missouri | 1,425,436 | 1,379,301 | −46,135 | −3.2% |
New Jersey | 2,065,214 | 2,007,684 | −57,530 | −2.8% |
Louisiana | 1,118,015 | 1,087,209 | −30,806 | −2.8% |
Kansas | 726,939 | 708,564 | −18,375 | −2.5% |
Alabama | 1,132,459 | 1,107,113 | −25,346 | −2.2% |
Arkansas | 711,475 | 699,251 | −12,224 | −1.7% |
Hawaii | 303,818 | 299,366 | −4,452 | −1.5% |
Arizona | 1,629,014 | 1,609,526 | −19,488 | −1.2% |
Indiana | 1,608,298 | 1,592,949 | −15,349 | −1.0% |
Kentucky | 1,023,371 | 1,021,936 | −1,435 | −0.1% |
Georgia | 2,491,552 | 2,491,634 | 82 | 0.0% |
Oregon | 866,453 | 866,604 | 151 | 0.0% |
Wyoming | 135,402 | 135,514 | 112 | 0.1% |
North Carolina | 2,281,635 | 2,284,289 | 2,654 | 0.1% |
Delaware | 205,765 | 206,405 | 640 | 0.3% |
Maryland | 1,352,964 | 1,362,022 | 9,058 | 0.7% |
Iowa | 727,993 | 740,266 | 12,273 | 1.7% |
Virginia | 1,853,677 | 1,886,339 | 32,662 | 1.8% |
Tennessee | 1,496,001 | 1,526,367 | 30,366 | 2.0% |
Oklahoma | 929,666 | 948,655 | 18,989 | 2.0% |
South Carolina | 1,080,474 | 1,103,965 | 23,491 | 2.2% |
Minnesota | 1,284,063 | 1,317,461 | 33,398 | 2.6% |
Colorado | 1,225,609 | 1,264,138 | 38,529 | 3.1% |
Nevada | 665,008 | 691,288 | 26,280 | 4.0% |
Montana | 223,563 | 234,102 | 10,539 | 4.7% |
Florida | 4,002,091 | 4,198,955 | 196,864 | 4.9% |
Nebraska | 459,221 | 485,377 | 26,156 | 5.7% |
Texas | 6,865,824 | 7,278,805 | 412,981 | 6.0% |
Washington | 1,581,354 | 1,680,592 | 99,238 | 6.3% |
South Dakota | 202,797 | 217,412 | 14,615 | 7.2% |
Idaho | 429,072 | 462,706 | 33,634 | 7.8% |
Utah | 871,027 | 947,565 | 76,538 | 8.8% |
District of Columbia | 100,815 | 114,384 | 13,569 | 13.5% |
North Dakota | 149,871 | 183,001 | 33,130 | 22.1% |