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.

[lemura]

Yeah, you could add up the other top 98 and they might not equal Riverside (Los Angeles) & Clark (Las Vegas). Either way, however, it's all Bush country. I posted a comment back in November mentioning that Calif could go Repub in the near future based on projected growth in all the counties that Bush took in the state.

[TC Rider]

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

What brings them to Johnson County?

Agriculture, specifically tobacco, originally. Now it serves for low cost housing as they commute to prosperous Wake County for construction jobs.

Over many years of field work, a hispanic infrastructure and cultural base was established.

[southernnorthcarolina]

The great majority of these counties are suburban and exurban. With very few exceptions, they are strongly Republican. This seems to perplex some: if growth in my county is being fueled by people moving from blue states, why isn't my county turning blue?

The answer is simple. Take my home of Union County, NC, #21 on the list. Exurban Charlotte, growing rapidly because of spillover from Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) and people moving in from other states -- mostly "blue states," with New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, according to my unscientific neighborhood sampling, high on the list. All those blue-staters talk funny; they root for the Steelers and Syracuse in our sports bars; and they're more prone to have bagels than biscuits, or hash browns than grits, with their breakfast. But guess what? They're mostly conservative Republicans. You see, we're not getting a cross-section of folks from NY, PA, and NJ moving here. Generally speaking, we're getting corporate transfers, investors in local industries, and entrepreneurs. The group of northerners moving here is therefore skewed to the more intelligent, the higher income, and the more motivated. To put it a bit brutally, those who can leave New Jersey do leave New Jersey.

The local political implications are staggering. In the 1970s, Union County was mostly rural, and solidly Democratic. Today, it's mostly exurban, and solidly Republican -- including all County Commissioners, the Sheriff, State House and Senate members, and the two Members of Congress representing Union County plus others.

In 1980, Jimmy Carter carried Union County, 10,073 (51.2%) to Reagan's 9,012 (45.8%), even though President Reagan carried North Carolina. In 2004, President Bush annihilated Kerry in Union County, 42,820 (70.2%) to 17,974 (29.5%). Focus not only on the percentages, but the growth in the raw numbers over just 24 years. In 2004, President Bush's plurality in Union County -- nearly 25,000 -- was substantially greater than the total vote in 1980. Two things are at work here: "Bubba" has become Republican in the last three or four decades -- first at the top of the ballot (Nixon and Reagan), then at the Senate level (Jesse Helms), and more recently all the way down the ballot; combine the GOP move by the natives with the GOP transplants, and it becomes clear why so many Southern and heartland exurban counties are becoming the Republican Party's biggest assets.

[Route101]

L.O.L....all due to illegal immigration I bet?

[sphinx]

I know about Loudoun, Stafford, Spotsy, and Prince William....I can't even afford a dumpster here, that's why I'm moving on.

Yeah, we're turning all the battlefields into urban parks, if already preserved, or strip malls, if not.

[Dan from Michigan]

People fleeing the blue states should be forced to take a socialist lie detector test before they are allowed to become red state residents.

Change it to county.

We're getting a ton of blue county refugees here. The first wave is as red at the natives and was sick of Detroit. I'm worried that the elitist leftist "professionals" start moving out here from Ann Arbor, Farmington Hills(man has city changed) or Royal Oak. I don't want to see the same leftist crap that ruined Detroit to go here.

[B4Ranch]

Pretty soon you'll have to speak Spanish just to drive through those counties.

[Age of Reason]

How horrible for the people already living in those places.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"In the Portland area any evil corporation is pushed out or prevented from moving in."

That is exactly what's happening in the Dane County (Madison) WI & Milwaukee county areas; you know...the two counties rife with Voter Fraud? (You'll note that Wisconsin didn't make the posted growth list at all.)

I think it's hopeless for us to lure more Republicans to this state. They're too smart to move here, and those of us that have been here since birth are smart enough to know that if we leave, we'll be giving it up completely to the Socialists.

That said, that just leaves more North Woods acreage for me to own, protect & enjoy...and later sell to some Blue Stater at a greatly inflated price. Tee-Hee! ;)

[Age of Reason]

That's Red State Bush country baby!!!

ROFLMAO

Kiss your red thinking goodbye when those hordes move there and you're all living on top of each other.

Of course you won't even know what happened, because you'll morph into a liberal yourself--and you won't even know it.

In fact, you'll still think you're a conservative, like you do now.

[The Mayor]

Of course not one from New York..

I would like to see the opposite list.
Fastest shrinking counties. I wonder if Erie County NY would be first.
We lost over 14,000 between 2000 and 04..

[Grampa Dave]

What is happening in your home state and Oregon is happening all over the nice areas of America.

The Watermelons love it, the real estate people love it as property values soar, and the politicians in bed with the Watermelons love it.

[lowbridge]

bump

[The Mayor]

Of course not one from New York..

I would like to see the opposite list.
Fastest shrinking counties. I wonder if Erie County NY would be first.
We lost over 14,000 between 2000 and 04..

[LdSentinal]

I think New York has at least 24 counties skrinking in population. Manhattan lost a bit. Overall, growth in the state is stagnant. Expect New York to have less than 30 electoral votes after the 2010 census.

[Huck]

now Missoula is being referred to as "Moscow on the Clark Fork"

Ouch!

[Grampa Dave]

Below is an interesting FR thread, re how GW carried 97 of these 100 fast growing areas. What makes it even more interesting is the LA Slimes published this story. The rats are saying that this is just little blip and has no signicance. They are wrong as usual:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1285972/posts

GOP Plants Flag on New Voting Frontier
Los Angeles Times ^ | November 22, 2004 | Ronald Brownstein and Richard Rainey, Times Staff Writers


Posted on 11/22/2004 9:23:16 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach


Bush's huge victory in the fast-growing areas beyond the suburbs alters the political map.


WASHINGTON — The center of the Republican presidential coalition is moving toward the distant edges of suburbia.


In this month's election, President Bush carried 97 of the nation's 100 fastest-growing counties, most of them "exurban" communities that are rapidly transforming farmland into subdivisions and shopping malls on the periphery of major metropolitan areas.
Together, these fast-growing communities provided Bush a punishing 1.72 million vote advantage over Democrat John F. Kerry, according to a Times analysis of election results. That was almost half the president's total margin of victory.

"These exurban counties are the new Republican areas, and they will become increasingly important to Republican candidates," said Terry Nelson, the political director for Bush's reelection campaign. "This is where a lot of our vote is."

These growing areas, filled largely with younger families fleeing urban centers in search of affordable homes, are providing the GOP a foothold in blue Democratic-leaning states and solidifying the party's control over red Republican-leaning states.

They also represent a compounding asset whose value for the Republican Party has increased with each election: Bush's edge in these 100 counties was almost four times greater than the advantage they provided Bob Dole, the Republican presidential nominee eight years ago.

In states like Ohio, Minnesota and Virginia, Republican strength in these outer suburbs is offsetting Democratic gains over the last decade in more established — and often more affluent — inner-tier suburbs. As Democrats analyze a demoralizing defeat in this month's presidential election, one key question they face is whether they can reduce the expanding Republican advantage on the new frontier between suburbs and countryside.



"When any party is losing a growing group of voters, that's a problem —"

[keithtoo]

I have no idea what you're talking about. These areas are growing because of people escaping the liberal paradises of big cities, and they are being populated by couples who have larger families than the Lib's do. I see this all as a net gain for the GOP and conservatism in general.

[blackie]

~~~ and business taxes in general.

[blackie]

Roger that Dave!