NC growth over last decade entirely from adult population

Published August 19, 2021

By Rebecca Tippett

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%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau via Big Local News Get the data Embed Download image Created with Datawrapper