Local Economy Causes Population Growth

 

Raleigh’s population count crashed through the 400,000 barrier in 2009, according to new population estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

North Carolina’s capital city, with 405,791 residents as of July 1, 2009, moved up a spot in the rankings, supplanting Colorado Springs as the 45th biggest U.S. municipality. Raleigh posted a population increase of 3 percent compared to the 2008 estimate of about 393,000.

For the decade, Raleigh added more than 117,000 jobs between 2000 and 2009 – the 10th largest gain in the United States over that period.

Durham’s population, meanwhile, is quickly catching up to Winston-Salem’s population with an estimated resident count of 229,174 in 2009 compared to Winston-Salem’s population of 229,828. Durham is the nation’s 85th largest city.

Cary’s population grew almost 6 percent in the past year with a population estimate of 136,600 in 2009. It ranked at No. 179 in country.

The U.S. Census Bureau‘s 2009 population estimates are calculated for every incorporated city, town and village across the nation.

Elsewhere in the Triangle, 2009 population estimates were the following:

Chapel Hill at 53,546 people.

Apex at 34,022 people.

Sanford at 29,922 people.

Wake Forest at 27,852 people.

Garner at 27,525 people.

Holly Springs at 21,743 people.

Carrboro at 18,368 people.

Fuquay-Varina at 17,905 people.

Clayton at 16,362 people.

Morrisville at 14,018 people.

Smithfield at 13,201 people, and

Knightdale at 10,157 people.

Charlotte still ranks as the state’s largest municipality with a population of 709,441 people, which ranks at No.18 in the country.