Charlotte growth pushes it past San Francisco to become 15th biggest city in the US

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (The Charlotte Observer) - Charlotte is now the 15th most populous city in the United States, surpassing San Francisco, newly released census estimates show.

Charlotte’s population jumped two spots on that list in the past decade. The city’s population increased by 19.9% — from 731,400 in 2010 to 885,700 as of last July. With the increase during that time, Charlotte surpassed Indianapolis and San Francisco. It passed San Francisco between 2018 and 2019, data show.

The data is further evidence of the Sunbelt migration that has driven people to Charlotte from the Northeast and West.

That population boom has contributed to the city’s building frenzy, as thousands of apartments crop up to house new residents. But it’s also been a factor in pushing up the cost of living for native residents, and the city now suffers from a shortage of tens of thousands of affordable homes.

GROWTH IN THE CAROLINAS

Charlotte’s growth rate was the fifth largest among all U.S. cities of at least 500,000 people. Only Seattle; Fort Worth, Texas; Austin, Texas and Denver grew faster.

Raleigh’s population grew from about 403,000 people to 474,000 last July, a 16.6% increase.

The census data covered all cities and towns of at least 50,000 people. Twenty North Carolina cities and seven South Carolina cities made the list.

Seven cities in the Carolinas had their population increase by at least 20% in the past decade.

They are:

• Apex – 59,300, a 56% increase
• Mount Pleasant, S.C. – 91,700, a 34% increase
• Cary – 170,300, a 24% increase
• Huntersville – 58,000, a 23% increase
• Summerville, S.C. – 52,500, a 22% increase
• Concord – 96,300, a 21% increase
• Durham – 279,000, a 21% increase

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