- Jen Wilson
- Associate Editor/Online-Charlotte Business Journal
- Email | Twitter | Google+
It should come as no surprise to those who've seen the influx of people and businesses in Charlotte in the past decade, even during the down years. The Queen City ranks No. 2 among the fastest-growing big cities in the United States, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The new data, from the 2013 five-year American Community Survey, shows Charlotte with an estimated population of 757,278. That's a 40 percent increase over the city's population of 540,828 recorded during the 2000 census.
Big cities are defined as those that had populations of more than 500,000 at the time of the 2000 census. In that category, Fort Worth, Texas, ranks as the fastest-growing, with a 42.3 percent rise in population. Following second-place Charlotte are three more Texas cities: Austin, with 27.5 percent growth; San Antonio, 18.7 percent; and El Paso, 17.2 percent.
On a percentage basis, Raleigh continues to outpace Charlotte, topping the growth charts for midsized and larger cities — those with more than 250,000 residents in 2000 — with a 50.1 percent increase in population. The number of residents in Raleigh totaled an estimated 414,530 in 2013, up from 276,093.
No other North Carolina cities fall into those categories, though Greensboro would fit with the midsized-and-larger group if it were based on the latest estimates — since the 2000 census, that city has grown to a population of 273,228.
Here's a look at how some of the state's bigger metro areas have fared:
- Winston-Salem, 25 percent growth since the turn of the century.
- Durham, 25.6 percent.
- Greensboro, 22 percent.
- Wilmington, 43.1 percent.
- Asheville, 23.2 percent.
In the Charlotte region, the swelling number of residents has not been limited to the city's limits. A number of smaller towns in the area have experienced major population booms as well:
- Indian Trail ranks No. 14 on the overall list with a whopping 186.8 percent population increase.
- Cornelius has seen its population grow 113.7 percent since 2000.
- Huntersville experienced a 92.4 percent increase.
- Mooresville has grown by 79.6 percent.
- Mint Hill's population expanded by 56.7 percent.
- And Concord saw growth of 44.2 percent.
