Greensboro and Wake Forest hit new population milestones | Eastern North Carolina Now

By Lisa Carlson on 6.1.23 in NC in Focus

    The U.S. Census Bureau released their 2022 population estimates for municipalities earlier this month. Here's what the new data tell us about how North Carolina's cities and towns have changed in the past year.

    Greensboro passes 300K residents

    On July 1st 2022, Greensboro's estimated population was 301,115, up from an estimated 299,225 on July 1st 2021. Wake Forest also passed a major milestone, passing 50,000 residents as of 2022 (as predicted in our blog post on the 2021 population estimates last year).

    Charlotte, with an estimated population of 897,720 in 2022, might be the next city to hit a major milestone, both for the city itself and for North Carolina: based on the growth between 2021 and 2022, Charlotte should pass 900,000 residents in the 2023 estimates.

    375 NC municipalities grew between 2021 and 2022

    The municipalities with the largest numeric increases were more concentrated in Charlotte and the Triangle. Charlotte City gained an estimated 15,217 residents, the largest increase statewide, followed by Raleigh (6,695) and Fuquay-Varina (23,926).

    One-fifth of NC population lives in 5 largest places

    The five largest places in the state-Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem-each have a combined population of 2.2 million or 21% of the state's population.