100 fastest growing counties (in the U.S.)

Census Bureau ^ | 4/16/05

[LdSentinal]

100 fastest growing counties

Population Estimates for the 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties with 10,000 or more Population in 2004: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004
Geographic Area	Population estimates		Change, 2000 to 2004
	July 1, 2004	April 1, 2000 estimates base	Number	Percent
Loudoun County, VA	239,156	169,599	69,557	41.0
Flagler County, FL	69,005	49,832	19,173	38.5
Douglas County, CO	237,963	175,766	62,197	35.4
Rockwall County, TX	58,260	43,083	15,177	35.2
Forsyth County, GA	131,865	98,407	33,458	34.0
Henry County, GA	159,506	119,404	40,102	33.6
Kendall County, IL	72,548	54,544	18,004	33.0
Newton County, GA	81,524	62,001	19,523	31.5
Lincoln County, SD	31,437	24,147	7,290	30.2
Paulding County, GA	105,936	81,647	24,289	29.7
Delaware County, OH	142,503	109,989	32,514	29.6
Scott County, MN	114,794	89,498	25,296	28.3
Collin County, TX	627,938	491,774	136,164	27.7
Osceola County, FL	219,544	172,493	47,051	27.3
Williamson County, TX	317,938	249,967	67,971	27.2
Hamilton County, IN	231,760	182,740	49,020	26.8
Spencer County, KY	14,822	11,766	3,056	26.0
Lyon County, NV	43,230	34,501	8,729	25.3
Fort Bend County, TX	442,620	354,452	88,168	24.9
Stafford County, VA	114,781	92,446	22,335	24.2
Union County, NC	153,652	123,772	29,880	24.1
Lake County, FL	260,788	210,527	50,261	23.9
St. Johns County, FL	152,473	123,135	29,338	23.8
Spotsylvania County, VA	111,850	90,395	21,455	23.7
Placer County, CA	307,004	248,399	58,605	23.6
Montgomery County, TX	362,382	293,768	68,614	23.4
Cherokee County, GA	174,680	141,903	32,777	23.1
Denton County, TX	530,597	432,976	97,621	22.5
Hays County, TX	119,359	97,589	21,770	22.3
Sherburne County, MN	78,762	64,415	14,347	22.3
Barrow County, GA	56,418	46,144	10,274	22.3
Will County, IL	613,849	502,266	111,583	22.2
Tooele County, UT	49,688	40,735	8,953	22.0
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK	72,278	59,322	12,956	21.8
DeSoto County, MS	130,587	107,199	23,388	21.8
Dallas County, IA	49,591	40,750	8,841	21.7
Washington County, UT	109,924	90,354	19,570	21.7
Currituck County, NC	22,067	18,190	3,877	21.3
Weld County, CO	219,257	180,834	38,423	21.2
Riverside County, CA	1,871,950	1,545,387	326,563	21.1
Rains County, TX	11,066	9,139	1,927	21.1
Pickens County, GA	27,771	22,983	4,788	20.8
Lee County, GA	29,913	24,757	5,156	20.8
Franklin County, WA	59,472	49,347	10,125	20.5
Suffolk city, VA	76,586	63,677	12,909	20.3
Canyon County, ID	158,038	131,441	26,597	20.2
Clark County, NV	1,650,671	1,375,738	274,933	20.0
Prince William County, VA	336,586	280,813	55,773	19.9
Kaufman County, TX	85,377	71,310	14,067	19.7
Warren County, OH	189,276	158,486	30,790	19.4
Walton County, FL	48,477	40,601	7,876	19.4
Pinal County, AZ	214,359	179,727	34,632	19.3
Wasatch County, UT	18,139	15,215	2,924	19.2
Dawson County, GA	19,064	15,999	3,065	19.2
Jackson County, GA	49,540	41,589	7,951	19.1
Gwinnett County, GA	700,794	588,448	112,346	19.1
Effingham County, GA	44,661	37,535	7,126	19.0
Wakulla County, FL	27,179	22,863	4,316	18.9
Bastrop County, TX	68,608	57,733	10,875	18.8
Wright County, MN	106,889	89,993	16,896	18.8
Hendricks County, IN	123,476	104,093	19,383	18.6
Walton County, GA	71,941	60,687	11,254	18.5
Christian County, MO	64,273	54,285	9,988	18.4
White County, GA	23,595	19,944	3,651	18.3
Pasco County, FL	407,799	344,768	63,031	18.3
Coweta County, GA	105,376	89,215	16,161	18.1
Collier County, FL	296,678	251,377	45,301	18.0
Burnet County, TX	40,286	34,147	6,139	18.0
Fluvanna County, VA	23,644	20,047	3,597	17.9
Boone County, KY	101,354	85,991	15,363	17.9
Berkeley County, WV	89,362	75,905	13,457	17.7
St. Croix County, WI	74,339	63,155	11,184	17.7
St. Lucie County, FL	226,816	192,695	34,121	17.7
Comal County, TX	91,806	78,021	13,785	17.7
Lincoln County, MO	45,816	38,944	6,872	17.6
Chisago County, MN	48,349	41,101	7,248	17.6
Bryan County, GA	27,535	23,417	4,118	17.6
Santa Rosa County, FL	138,276	117,743	20,533	17.4
Archuleta County, CO	11,615	9,898	1,717	17.3
Culpeper County, VA	40,192	34,262	5,930	17.3
Benton County, AR	179,756	153,406	26,350	17.2
Carver County, MN	82,122	70,205	11,917	17.0
Kane County, IL	472,482	404,119	68,363	16.9
Pike County, PA	54,117	46,302	7,815	16.9
Isanti County, MN	36,546	31,287	5,259	16.8
Fayette County, TN	33,624	28,796	4,828	16.8
Clay County, FL	164,394	140,814	23,580	16.7
Hoke County, NC	39,262	33,646	5,616	16.7
Lee County, FL	514,295	440,888	73,407	16.6
Lampasas County, TX	20,718	17,762	2,956	16.6
Deschutes County, OR	134,479	115,367	19,112	16.6
Carroll County, GA	101,577	87,268	14,309	16.4
Douglas County, GA	107,217	92,222	14,995	16.3
Johnston County, NC	141,640	121,900	19,740	16.2
Mohave County, AZ	179,981	155,032	24,949	16.1
Boone County, IL	48,490	41,786	6,704	16.0
Williamson County, TN	146,935	126,638	20,297	16.0
Nye County, NV	37,714	32,512	5,202	16.0
Calvert County, MD	86,474	74,563	11,911	16.0
Park County, CO	16,833	14,523	2,310	15.9
Note: The April 1, 2000 Population Estimates base reflects changes to the Census 2000 population from the Count Question Resolution program and geographic program revisions.

[LdSentinal]

Maricopa, Pinal counties rack up population

[Salvation]

And Kulongowski needs to know that property taxes in Oregon are keeping business and people away. This is maddening!

[Huck]

"I've watched these blue stater's move here by the droves over the decades." --poobear

They'll simply bring their idiotic trash with them. Sigh... is it too late for fences around the blue areas?" --Jokelahoma

Well, I live right on the very edge of blue state land. I'm in Sussex County, NJ. The county is 3-1 GOP. The local democrat party could meet in a phone booth. But of course the state is blue. We've still got some farms and open spaces up here. The folks who live up here are regular Americans. Nascar is big up here. Walmart is the big store. I call it the West Virginia of New Jersey. But then I hear tell of how towns just 20 miles away were farmland just 50 years ago. I just hate crowds. I like our little community, and I'm only on a half acre, but it's private and quiet and there's plenty of open space around. Who knows for how long. I'm like a marmot. I'll keep moving further away from people as needed. Just close enough to do business. And for me that means I'll drive an hour or more each way to make my money, and be happy to go back up a hill somewhere to lay my hat and have my supper.

[AlaskaErik]

Why is the Matsu-Su bourough growing so fast? Is it out-of-staters coming in? Is Anchorage-Eagle River-etc. out of space? Is Anchorage taxing everyone to death?

Mostly refugees from Los Anchorage. There are about 1000 lots left to build single family homes on. But Los Anchorage is also a pocket of liberalism in an otherwise conservative state and the mayor, King Mark, is doing everything in his power to get more taxes out of the people. I now live in the Mat-Su Borough and don't plan on living in Anchorage again, ever!

[MMcC]

"With 100 gaining counties there must be a near equal amount of losing counties - wonder what they are"

Most are in the neighboring more metro county. I'm in St. Johns Co. Florida and helped add to the list. Like most others here, I moved from Duval Co. Same for the GA counties… A lot of the growth is people moving further from metro Atlanta.

[Cowboy Bob]

Johnston County, NC placement on the list is probably mostly due to immigration, legal or otherwise.

What brings them to Johnson County?

[afnamvet]

Placer County, CA- the most republican county in California. Let's hope the "rats" don't move in on us!

Roger that!

[JoeV1]

"Don't pick any that are on this list - 130k wouldn't buy a parking spot."

Wrong! I just purchased a new Townhouse in Union County NC. It has 3 B/R (master B/R on first level), 2.5 baths, loft, eat in kitchen, gas fireplace, Corrianne counters, multi zone climate control, built in stereo, crown moldings throughout and more. This is an end unit and is approximately 2100 sq feet in size with an attached garage. The price was $149,990, taxes are $1100 annually and the association fees are $125 monthly. It is located in a beautiful community with ponds and fountains and wide open spaces.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

- "Of the 100 fastest-growing counties between 2003 and 2004, 60 were located in the South, 23 in the West and 17 in the Midwest. None were in the Northeast."

Only people in Maine consider Calvert County, MD to be in the South. Only people in Europe consider to be in the West.

[jetson]

this does tell alot

[Wormwood]

Attention America:
Florida is CLOSED
Please turn around and go home.

Thank you, Wormwood.

[Clara Lou]

Thanks for the info. We lived in Eagle River. The Mat-Su area is just beautiful. We bought a lot of produce there. Hate to see it get crowded.

[swordfish71]

Good point, indeed!

A case in point is Missoula County, Montana.

Montana was one the reddest of the red states....now Missoula is being referred to as "Moscow on the Clark Fork"

[SaveTheChief]

I noticed two Indy area counties on that list. Hendricks county has grown tremendously in the past decade as well.

[Ole Okie]

I counted 17 from Georgia.

A lot of these are Atlanta and environs. Beaucoup people are moving down this way from the Nawth. Atlanta right now is around 4 million in population, projections are that it will grow to 6 - 8 million by 2020 (IIRC).

[Grampa Dave]

Governor K and his fellow left wingers in the Oregon legislature are justing doing what their Watermelon Masters want for Oregon.

They want less people, less jobs and of course less evil ranchers, farmers, loggers, lumber mill workers, professional fishermen, and of course the really evil construction workers.

In the Portland area any evil corporation is pushed out or prevented from moving in. Ten years ago Oregon was a leader in construction of homes and heavy construction. Take out the construction in the Medford, Bend and Brookings area, construction is probably running at a negative rate ( not keeping up with what time does to old homes and business sites).

[Mark in the Old South]

I count 62 in the South but I included one in KY and one in West Virginia.

The census in 2010 should be very interesting. It is a pity massive population loss in Mass will not affect the Senate seats of the two distinguished gentlemen who hail from those parts.

[Mark in the Old South]

Re: "Fluvanna...that one I don't get, since it's kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Expansion from Charlottesville, maybe?"

Yes I know many who work in C-ville and commute from Fluvanna. I very pretty county I might add. C-ville is very liberal by Virginia standards but that would make it conservative by most. They do vote Democrat-lite.

Suffolk is a city in the Tidewater area SW of Norfolk but is a city in it's own right, sort of.

By the way I am in the Richmond area as well. Your point is a good one. If this area does not make the list there may be much more that the numbers above do not tell. It may be just the tip of the iceberg.

[Crawdad]

Please be advised that Cobb County, GA is closed. Thank-You. Move along.

[BlueNgold]

Placer County, CA- the most republican county in California. Let's hope the "rats" don't move in on us!

Roger that!


... Note that MUCH of that gowth between 2000 & 2004 was due to Del Webb retirement communities in Roseville and Lincoln. It was a huge concern among the (R) leadership at first, (lots of Roosevelt Democrats in the retiree crowd) but the balance of voting tenencies in Placer changed very little.