Raleigh is growing. Fast. (You’re shocked, right?) That was the message delivered by a new report issued Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. But before we get into what this actually means, here’s a look at the fourteen fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation.
As you can see, all but one of the metros that grew faster than Raleigh (Austin) are considerably smaller, which means they had to lure fewer people. And even for Raleigh, the ranking, while noteworthy, doesn’t represent an enormous population boom. From 2015–16, only 31,585 people joined the city (and nearly 16,000 of them were newborns, compared to about 7,500 deaths). When you’re dealing with a population of 1.3 million, that’s a relative drop in the bucket.
It is worth noting, however, that more than twenty-two thousand of those represented in the hike moved to Raleigh from other places. And with the Oak City ranking in the Top 10 lists ranging from “Easiest Cities to Find a Job” and “Cities for Beer Lovers” to “America’s Hottest Spots for Techs” and “Best Cities for Young Professionals,” it shouldn’t be all that surprising that there’s been a jump.
Thanks for the new neighbors, Forbes.
