In this article, we will be covering the 15 fastest-growing counties in the US. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Fastest Growing Counties in the US.
Population Dynamics at the County Level
2022 witnessed a rebound in population patterns for the US counties. In terms of overall population, 19.5% of the US counties had a resident population of 100,000 or above in 2022 while only 1.5% had a population of 1 million or above. At the same time, less than 25,000 resided in 48.7% of the counties.
As reported by the US Census Bureau, counties with large colleges and universities experienced their populations return to pre-pandemic levels as students began to come back. A prime example of this was Whitman County which hosts the Washington State University and saw its population climb by 10.1% although it had declined 9.6% between 2020 and 2021. Simultaneously, domestic outmigration became slow in some of the urban counties in the country. Overall, the nation’s South or West hosted all 10 of the most rapidly growing counties in 2022. Dallas County in Texas achieved the fastest population gain since 2017 by gaining 13,000 people from 2021 to 2022.
Recent Population Gains in Counties
2023 further demonstrated a rebound since more counties saw population growths than losses. Between 2022 and 2023, 1,876 of the US counties experienced population gains. This number rose from 1,649 counties between 2021 to 2022. Geographical trends depict that the Midwest and Northeast witnessed more population gains in their counties in 2023 while the population seemed to drop in counties in the West. You can view the fastest growing states in the US to have a better idea of regional population growths. Since 2020, population gains have been reported to surpass the losses in the Midwestern counties. Population growth was relatively faster in the South as 67% of the region’s counties saw their populations increase in 2023 as compared to 59% in 2022. Population losses in the Northeast also became moderate, with the population rising from 83 counties in 2022 to 105 in 2023.
In terms of size, the population increased on average in counties with populations above 100,000 and those between 10,000 and 100,000. On the other extreme, counties with populations below 10,000 saw an average annual population decrease of 0.27%. You can also take a look at some of the fastest declining cities in the US.
Factors Driving Population Changes in Counties
International migration, domestic migration, and natural change influence the population changes in counties. Let’s take a look at how these factors influenced county populations in 2023.
Positive net international migration was seen to take place in 80% of the US counties in 2023. Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island were among the states where all counties had positive net international migration.
On the county level, positive net domestic migration also increased in 2023. Counties in the South recorded the highest net domestic in-migration. Except for the West, counties with positive net domestic migration increased among the counties in all US regions. Share of these counties was the highest in the Northeast.
Natural decrease went down from prevailing in 74.3% counties in 2022 to 69% counties in 2023. Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are some of the states where most of the counties had to undergo natural decrease. The natural decrease was the highest in Pinellas, Sarasota, Brevard, Volusia, and Marion. On the other hand, natural increase was the strongest in Harris County in Texas, Los Angeles County in California, and Dallas County in Texas.
Fastest declining counties with populations above 20,000 in 2023 include California’s Lassen County which had a population decline of 3.9% and Missouri’s Randolph County where population went down by 2.1%. New York’s Bronx County also saw its population dropping by 1.8%. In the case of numeric declines, California’s Los Angeles County ranked at the top and lost 56,420 people, as a result of negative domestic migration. Population also decreased by 28,306 in Kings, 26,362 in Queens, and 25,332 in Bronx county. Other large numeric drops in populations occurred in Cook County in Illinois, Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania, and Orange County in California.
Business in Fastest Growing Areas
In 2023, some of the fastest growing counties in the United States were found to be in the South. Texas hosted 6 of the top 10 counties with a population of 20,000 or above which recorded rapid population growths. Some of the fastest growing cities in Texas have been previously covered. Texas is home to multiple renowned American companies including Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL), and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) which contribute to the local community and stakeholders.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) serves as the largest independent petroleum refiner globally. The firm is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Apart from striving to meet the growing global demand for reliable energy, the company supports the community around. In 2023, Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) raised $23 million along with its sponsors and partners through which it supported multiple US agencies including many in San Antonio. Local needs pertaining to food, shelter, and student mentoring were fulfilled by more than 127,000 hours put in by the company’s team. Additionally, the employees played their part in a record giving of more than $20 million to United Way affiliates in 26 US states.
The multinational Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) is based in Round Rock, Texas. The company claims to be a trusted ally for state and local governments. This is evident from the fact that some of the largest cities utilize Dell Technologies Inc.’s (NYSE:DELL) IT solutions. Furthermore, 50 state governments have been reported to benefit from the public sector IT solutions from the company. With $1.2 trillion investment in US infrastructure, the firm contributes to the community outcomes in the country.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a Texas-based telecommunications holding company that operates FirstNet, the first and only purpose-built public safety network in the United States. Through AT&T Connected Learning, the company has provided digital literacy and connectivity in communities which truly needed it. This digital divide was addressed by AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) by offering the underserved students and families tools to undertake distance learning and to seek employment. 385,800 hours were volunteered by the employees at AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) in 2022 through community engagement activities. In the US, 290,000 individuals impacted by natural disasters were also served by the firm.
Without further ado, let’s move to the 15 fastest growing counties in the US.
15 Fastest Growing Counties in the US
Our Methodology:
In order to compile a list of the 15 fastest-growing counties in the US, we sourced data from the US Census Bureau. Vintage 2023 gives the most recent population data for the US counties. Hence, we calculated a percentage change in county populations from 2022 to 2023 . Therefore, the counties have been ranked in ascending order of their respective percentage change in population between 2022 and 2023.
15 Fastest Growing Counties in the US
15. New Kent County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 4.7%
New Kent County is situated in the southeastern part of the US state of Virginia. Between 2022 and 2023, the county’s population increased by 4.7% thereby recording the 15th highest population rise among the counties.
14. Lamar County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 4.8%
Positioned in the west central portion of Georgia, Lamar County qualifies as one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The percentage increase in the county’s population was recorded at 4.8% from 2022 to 2023.
13. Jasper County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 4.9%
The southernmost county in South Carolina, Jasper County, is another growing county in the US. The county’s population rose from 31,986 in 2022 to 33,544 in 2023. The percentage increase in population has been expressed as 4.9%.
12. Ellis County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 4.9%
Ellis County is located in Texas and recorded a population growth of 4.9% between 2022 and 2023. The county is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area. Hence, Ellis County ranks among the fastest-growing counties in the United States.
11. Comal County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.0%
Comal County is positioned on the Edwards Plateau in Texas. The county has been growing in terms of population in the past. As of 2023, the county recorded a 5.0% increase in its population since 2022.
10. Chambers County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.0%
As evident from the percentage change of 5.0%, the population of Chambers County increased from 51,309 in 2022 to 53,876 in 2023. The county is a part of Texas and ranks among other US counties which have been growing.
9. Dawson County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.1%
The 15 fastest-growing counties in the United States rank Dawson County as well. The county lies in the northeast portion of Georgia. Between 2022 and 2023, the population in Dawson County went up by 5.1%.
8. Blanco County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.1%
Blanco County is another US county situated in Central Texas. The county’s population grew by 5.1% between 2022 and 2023 which ranks it as one of the rapidly growing counties in the United States.
7. Camas County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.4%
As of 2023, Camas County records a population rise of 5.4% since 2022. The county is situated in the southern portion of Idaho and has been experiencing growth in terms of population.
6. Jackson County
Change in Population (2022-2023): 5.5%
Jackson County witnessed the 6th highest percent population increase among other US counties. The population in Jackson County rose by 5.5%, from 84,009 in 2022 to 88,615 in 2023. The northeastern part of Georgia hosts the county.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Fastest Growing Counties in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.