Charlotte area population statistics

[tarhoosier]

Charlotte #9 in annual population increase 2015-2019. Unlike all the other top ten our largest contributor state was New York, not a shared or neighboring state. BankTown I guess. 

https://www.commercialcafe.com/blog/metro-to-metro-migration-trends-update/

[davidclt]

8 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

Charlotte #9 in annual population increase 2015-2019. Unlike all the other top ten our largest contributor state was New York, not a shared or neighboring state. BankTown I guess. 

https://www.commercialcafe.com/blog/metro-to-metro-migration-trends-update/

Anecdotally of late, I've noticed a preponderance of Connecticut license plates throughout Dilworth and South End. Wondering what is bringing this seeming influx?

[KJHburg]

57 minutes ago, davidclt said:

Anecdotally of late, I've noticed a preponderance of Connecticut license plates throughout Dilworth and South End. Wondering what is bringing this seeming influx?

interesting I know of econ dev prospect from CT  but could be banking types moving south from the CT suburbs. 

[KJHburg]

Which county in NC is most like the state as a whole?    Drumroll please......  Forsyth home of Winston Salem (and birthplace of Krispy Kreme) , then Franklin (NE of Raleigh) and then Gaston County!

Check this study out by NC Demography

Which county in NC is most like the state? | Carolina Demography (ncdemography.org)

[Phillydog]

I'm one of the Connecticut transplants.  The growth in people interested in moving to NC has grown exponentially over the last few years.  NC is not well known -- people think of Florida, Texas, or Georgia first.  Over the last decade, with more and more New Englanders learning about NC (and SC), I'd say interest in Georgia has fallen a lot while Florida and Texas has remained steady.  In the 1970's - 2000's people were leaving CT for FL, GA, or TX.  Now, it's NC.  This is all anecdotal of course from people I know in New England.  In reality, it's name recognition and promotion.  NC is a far-superior state to Georgia in many respects -- # is the diversity of locations and landscapes.  "Georgia 'mountains'"?  LOL.  But, also colleges and universities.  When I'm in CT I see more and more NC university stickers on cars, so young people are picking schools here.  They do like I did, discover how amazing NC is while in school and then stay (I'm on year 33 since moving here for grad school).  Of course, the number of vehicles with "12" (NC state route 12) and OBX stickers has exploded.  Then, people learn about Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Wilmington, etc..  More than a few people have left Florida for NC (the "halfbacks").  All bodes well for NC, IMHO.... 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Phillydog

[QCxpat]

This morning, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates for the nation, states and Puerto Rico.

The estimates are as of July 1, 2021.  Please see tables and a link below.

Link:  https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2021-population-estimates.html

Excerpt:

"The South, with a population of 127,225,329, was the most populous of the four regions (encompassing 38.3% of the total national population) and was the only region that had positive net domestic migration of 657,682 (the movement of people from one area to another within the United States) between 2020 and 2021.  The Northeast region, the least populous of the four regions with a population of 57,159,838 in 2021, experienced a population decrease of -365,795 residents due to natural decrease (-31,052) and negative net domestic migration (-389,638).  The West saw a gain in population (35,868) despite losing residents via negative net domestic migration (-144,941).  Growth in the West was due to natural increase (143,082) and positive net international migration (38,347).  Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases and 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population, 11 of which had losses of over 10,000 people.  This is a historically large number of states to lose population in a year."

 

Table 1.

Top 10 Most Populous States: 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021
1	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836
2	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941
3	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128
4	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913
5	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056
6	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469
7	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017
8	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566
9	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162
10	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811

 

Table 2. 

 

Top 10 States in Numeric Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Growth
1	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	310,288
2	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	211,196
3	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	98,330
4	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162	93,985
5	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566	73,766
6	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	59,976
7	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	56,291
8	Tennessee	6,910,840	6,920,119	6,975,218	55,099
9	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	53,151
10	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	29,920

 

Table 3.

Top 10 States in Percent Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Growth
1	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	2.9%
2	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	1.7%
3	Montana	1,084,225	1,086,193	1,104,271	1.7%
4	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	1.4%
5	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	1.2%
6	Delaware	989,948	991,886	1,003,384	1.2%
7	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	1.1%
8	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	1.0%
9	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	1.0%
10	South Dakota	886,667	887,099	895,376	0.9%

 

Table 4.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent)in Numeric Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Decline
1	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-319,020
2	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-261,902
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-113,776
4	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-37,497
5	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-27,156
6	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056	-25,569
7	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-20,043
8	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811	-16,853
9	New Jersey	9,288,994	9,279,743	9,267,130	-12,613
10	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017	-10,570

 

Table 5.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent) in Percent Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Decline
1	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-2.9%
2	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-1.6%
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-0.9%
4	Hawaii	1,455,271	1,451,911	1,441,553	-0.7%
5	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-0.7%
6	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-0.6%
7	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-0.5%
8	North Dakota	779,094	778,962	774,948	-0.5%
9	West Virginia	1,793,716	1,789,798	1,782,959	-0.4%
10	Mississippi	2,961,279	2,956,870	2,949,965	-0.2%

Last Revised: December 21, 2021

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by QCxpat

[kayman]

On 12/21/2021 at 10:35 AM, QCxpat said:

This morning, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates for the nation, states and Puerto Rico.

The estimates are as of July 1, 2021.  Please see tables and a link below.

Link:  https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2021-population-estimates.html

Excerpt:

"The South, with a population of 127,225,329, was the most populous of the four regions (encompassing 38.3% of the total national population) and was the only region that had positive net domestic migration of 657,682 (the movement of people from one area to another within the United States) between 2020 and 2021.  The Northeast region, the least populous of the four regions with a population of 57,159,838 in 2021, experienced a population decrease of -365,795 residents due to natural decrease (-31,052) and negative net domestic migration (-389,638).  The West saw a gain in population (35,868) despite losing residents via negative net domestic migration (-144,941).  Growth in the West was due to natural increase (143,082) and positive net international migration (38,347).  Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases and 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population, 11 of which had losses of over 10,000 people.  This is a historically large number of states to lose population in a year."

 

Table 1.

Top 10 Most Populous States: 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021
1	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836
2	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941
3	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128
4	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913
5	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056
6	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469
7	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017
8	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566
9	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162
10	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811

 

Table 2. 

 

Top 10 States in Numeric Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Growth
1	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	310,288
2	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	211,196
3	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	98,330
4	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162	93,985
5	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566	73,766
6	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	59,976
7	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	56,291
8	Tennessee	6,910,840	6,920,119	6,975,218	55,099
9	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	53,151
10	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	29,920

 

Table 3.

Top 10 States in Percent Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Growth
1	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	2.9%
2	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	1.7%
3	Montana	1,084,225	1,086,193	1,104,271	1.7%
4	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	1.4%
5	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	1.2%
6	Delaware	989,948	991,886	1,003,384	1.2%
7	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	1.1%
8	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	1.0%
9	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	1.0%
10	South Dakota	886,667	887,099	895,376	0.9%

 

Table 4.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent)in Numeric Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Decline
1	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-319,020
2	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-261,902
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-113,776
4	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-37,497
5	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-27,156
6	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056	-25,569
7	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-20,043
8	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811	-16,853
9	New Jersey	9,288,994	9,279,743	9,267,130	-12,613
10	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017	-10,570

 

Table 5.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent) in Percent Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Decline
1	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-2.9%
2	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-1.6%
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-0.9%
4	Hawaii	1,455,271	1,451,911	1,441,553	-0.7%
5	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-0.7%
6	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-0.6%
7	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-0.5%
8	North Dakota	779,094	778,962	774,948	-0.5%
9	West Virginia	1,793,716	1,789,798	1,782,959	-0.4%
10	Mississippi	2,961,279	2,956,870	2,949,965	-0.2%

Last Revised: December 21, 2021

 

North Carolina is now going faster than Georgia again. It's interesting to see how this translate throughout the 2020s.

[KJHburg]

54 minutes ago, kayman said:

North Carolina is now going faster than Georgia again. It's interesting to see how this translate throughout the 2020s.

Georgia has one strong horse in the race (Atlanta)  NC has two (Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham) even our young upstarts we have more of (Asheville, Wilmington) vs. Georgia's Savannah.    More balanced population growth across NC helps our state gain and grow faster than Georgia. 

[kayman]

10 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Georgia has one strong horse in the race (Atlanta)  NC has two (Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham) even our young upstarts we have more of (Asheville, Wilmington) vs. Georgia's Savannah.    More balanced population growth across NC helps our state gain and grow faster than Georgia. 

True! Let's hope Charlotte accelerates in growth so that it guarantees that Georgia is no longer even in our (North Carolina) rearview mirror.  Georgia jumped pass us in the 2010s and it's been a neck-to-neck race in who is the largest since then. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by kayman

[Temeteron]

On 12/21/2021 at 10:35 AM, QCxpat said:

This morning, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates for the nation, states and Puerto Rico.

The estimates are as of July 1, 2021.  Please see tables and a link below.

Link:  https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2021-population-estimates.html

Excerpt:

"The South, with a population of 127,225,329, was the most populous of the four regions (encompassing 38.3% of the total national population) and was the only region that had positive net domestic migration of 657,682 (the movement of people from one area to another within the United States) between 2020 and 2021.  The Northeast region, the least populous of the four regions with a population of 57,159,838 in 2021, experienced a population decrease of -365,795 residents due to natural decrease (-31,052) and negative net domestic migration (-389,638).  The West saw a gain in population (35,868) despite losing residents via negative net domestic migration (-144,941).  Growth in the West was due to natural increase (143,082) and positive net international migration (38,347).  Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases and 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population, 11 of which had losses of over 10,000 people.  This is a historically large number of states to lose population in a year."

 

Table 1.

Top 10 Most Populous States: 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021
1	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836
2	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941
3	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128
4	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913
5	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056
6	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469
7	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017
8	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566
9	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162
10	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811

 

Table 2. 

 

Top 10 States in Numeric Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Growth
1	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	310,288
2	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	211,196
3	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	98,330
4	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162	93,985
5	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566	73,766
6	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	59,976
7	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	56,291
8	Tennessee	6,910,840	6,920,119	6,975,218	55,099
9	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	53,151
10	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	29,920

 

Table 3.

Top 10 States in Percent Growth, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Growth
1	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	2.9%
2	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	1.7%
3	Montana	1,084,225	1,086,193	1,104,271	1.7%
4	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	1.4%
5	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	1.2%
6	Delaware	989,948	991,886	1,003,384	1.2%
7	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	1.1%
8	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	1.0%
9	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	1.0%
10	South Dakota	886,667	887,099	895,376	0.9%

 

Table 4.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent)in Numeric Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Decline
1	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-319,020
2	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-261,902
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-113,776
4	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-37,497
5	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-27,156
6	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056	-25,569
7	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-20,043
8	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811	-16,853
9	New Jersey	9,288,994	9,279,743	9,267,130	-12,613
10	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017	-10,570

 

Table 5.

Top 10 States (or Equivalent) in Percent Decline, 2020 to 2021
Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Decline
1	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-2.9%
2	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-1.6%
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-0.9%
4	Hawaii	1,455,271	1,451,911	1,441,553	-0.7%
5	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-0.7%
6	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-0.6%
7	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-0.5%
8	North Dakota	779,094	778,962	774,948	-0.5%
9	West Virginia	1,793,716	1,789,798	1,782,959	-0.4%
10	Mississippi	2,961,279	2,956,870	2,949,965	-0.2%

Last Revised: December 21, 2021

 

The fact that we were 4th biggest numerical gain (and by a lot) is insane!  I wonder how many of those numbers are Charlotte area 

[go_vertical]

I believe for the last several years Charlotte has been maintaining an annual growth of 15,000 to 19,000 people a year so probably accounting for about 18 to 20 percent of the state total. 

[Temeteron]

4 hours ago, go_vertical said:

I believe for the last several years Charlotte has been maintaining an annual growth of 15,000 to 19,000 people a year so probably accounting for about 18 to 20 percent of the state total. 

I would it would be more.  The majority is either Charlotte or Triangle.  I can’t imagine the rest of the state to have as much.  Seems off to me. 

[go_vertical]

You'd be surprised.  That was just within the city so if you include the metro and add that to what the Triangle is bringing to the table that adds up to be at least 60% or more of that 93,000 annual state increase. Then your left with 30,000 to 35,000 people dispersed amongst the other 200+ cities and towns across the state.  I would imagine Asheville, the Triad and areas along the coast would absorb probably 3/4 of that. 

[kermit]

^ yea,  based on the 2010-2020 numbers essentially ALL of that growth is in metro Charlotte and Raleigh with token amounts from Wilmington metro and Asheville (mostly Buncombe and Henderson). Don’t forget, more than half of NC’s counties lost population between 2010-2020 and the Triad was essentially flat.

As boomers start to thin out we will see some accelerating declines happening in the Sandhills (Gen-Xers don’t play as much golf), Mountains, and possibly the the coast (but I think most of the coast will do fine as it increasingly becomes part of the Triangle burbs)

Edited December 24, 2021 by kermit

[tozmervo]

4 hours ago, kermit said:

^ yea,  based on the 2010-2020 numbers essentially ALL of that growth is in metro Charlotte and Raleigh with token amounts from Wilmington and Asheville. Don’t forget, more than half of NC’s counties lost population between 2010-2020 and the Triad was essentially flat.

As boomers start to thin out we will see some significant declines happening in the Sandhills (Gen-Xers don’t play as much golf), Mountains, and possibly the the coast (but I think most of the coast will do fine as it increasingly becomes part of the Triangle burbs)

"Start to thin out" 

[Crucial_Infra]

If only York County was in North Carolina, we’d already be more populous than a Georgia. 

[Hushpuppy321]

NC seems on Pace to be neck & neck with GA by 2027 to 2029 and may overtake Georgia (albeit slightly) in population by the early 2030’s timeframe.  What’s interesting is that NC, GA and Ohio would essentially be the same size population wise if trends continue unabated (In 2030’s).  That’s incredible to imagine the tectonic shift in USA Population but those three could all have the same amount of Electoral College Votes.

[Nick2]

On 12/28/2021 at 3:46 PM, Hushpuppy321 said:

NC seems on Pace to be neck & neck with GA by 2027 to 2029 and may overtake Georgia (albeit slightly) in population by the early 2030’s timeframe.  What’s interesting is that NC, GA and Ohio would essentially be the same size population wise if trends continue unabated (In 2030’s).  That’s incredible to imagine the tectonic shift in USA Population but those three could all have the same amount of Electoral College Votes.

What's crazy to me is that by 2050, it's not unreasonable to think that NC and GA could be the fifth and sixth largest states by population likely passing Illinois and Pennsylvania.

People always mention how huge California is by population but if you copied it on the east coast from central Florida to central Virginia (basically excluding the NOVA area and Miami), there wouldn't be much difference in population.

[tarhoosier]

Los Angeles County alone has more than 10 million people.

[KJHburg]

Interesting according to the stats above the Carolinas both North and South Carolina have close to  16 M people now.  And Charlotte of course is the dominant city in both states and on the border.  

Edited December 30, 2021 by KJHburg

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Interesting according to the stats above the Carolinas both North and South Carolina have close to  16 M people now.  And Charlotte of course is the dominant city in both states and on the border.  

We need more transplants from other Carolinas cities to fill in our numbers

Edited December 30, 2021 by Temeteron

[Phillydog]

5 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Interesting according to the stats above the Carolinas both North and South Carolina have close to  16 M people now.  And Charlotte of course is the dominant city in both states and on the border.  

...and, the 85 Carolina corridor is home to 11 of the 16 million.  Meanwhile, the rest of country has no idea.

[CLT2014]

6 hours ago, Phillydog said:

...and, the 85 Carolina corridor is home to 11 of the 16 million.  Meanwhile, the rest of country has no idea.

I think the country doesn't have any idea because the route is relatively low density for being 310 miles from Anderson, SC at the edge of the Greenville-Spartanburg area to Clayton, NC towards the end of the Triangle. It is a pretty long distance.... Los Angeles is nearly as close to Phoenix and Las Vegas as Anderson is to Clayton. Over that very vast distance we only get to ~11 million people though. There is continuous sprawl much of the way, but it is low density sprawl, which leads to a perception while driving through of the area being relatively "rural" feeling because you never get a true "mega city" feel along the route. Much of the route is visually dominated by Waffle House signs, truck stops, and trees.

Meanwhile 310 miles is equivalent to:

• Philadelphia to Boston.... scooping up nearly 40 million people in metros along the route. 
• The distance between cities in the North Central Midwest like Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, et... amounting to over 20 million people.
• The distance between cities in the Texas triangle of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio / Austin, and Houston (all less than 300 miles from each other) amounting to over 18 million people.
• The entirety of Southern California from Bakersfield through Los Angeles down to the Mexican border in San Diego  amounting to over 23 million people.
• The entire Florida peninsula is within 310 miles of each other amounting to 20 million people

The Carolinas I-85 corridor thus falls below the "mega" regions, but in an in between tier where it is slightly more populated than the I-5 corridor of Portland / Seattle, but less than the 20 million+ regions that get a lot of the attention. 

If you look at a bigger region though, the entire Piedmont Atlantic Mega Region (pulling in Atlanta, Birmingham, et...) is a respectable 5th place in the country of the 11 mega regions. Despite slowing population growth, the Great Lakes and Northeast mega regions are just on another tier though at 50 million+ people each: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaregions_of_the_United_States

Edited December 30, 2021 by CLT2014

[Nick2]

@CLT2014 I find the megaregion thought exercise fascinating but a few of them make no sense to me. The gulf region, the front range, and the great lakes are too spread out and independent of each other to be considered as one mega region in my opinion.  But the rest are pretty cool. The great lakes should be split into three. The gulf shouldn't exist and the front range should remove new mexico cities.

I think if trends continue, the Piedmont region will become incredible in the future. As well as Texas and Florida.

[Windsurfer]

3 hours ago, Nick2 said:

@CLT2014 I find the megaregion thought exercise fascinating but a few of them make no sense to me. The gulf region, the front range, and the great lakes are too spread out and independent of each other to be considered as one mega region in my opinion.  But the rest are pretty cool. The great lakes should be split into three. The gulf shouldn't exist and the front range should remove new mexico cities.

I think if trends continue, the Piedmont region will become incredible in the future. As well as Texas and Florida.

I know I'm farting in the wind with the crowd, but really, I still don't understand what's so great about mega population centers.  Bad air, expensive, confining if you like the outdoors, aggressive drivers, on and on... I've lived in Sao Paulo, Santiago, London, and have relatives in LA.  I just don't get why becoming another one of those is a good thing. Sorry to be a wet blanket.  Quality of life in a place like Greenville, SC,  San Luis Obispo, or even Santa Barbara is so easy and 'fun'.