(The Center Square) — Two Georgia counties are among the fastest-growing counties in the nation.
Between 2021 and 2022, Dawson and Lumpkin counties ranked among the top five counties with at least 20,000 residents with the largest annual percent growth. Between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, both counties saw their populations grow by 5.8%.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 estimates, the top 10 fastest-growing counties were in the south or west, including Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Washington. Georgia’s 159 counties saw their collective populations increase by 200,939 between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2022, and 124,847 between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022.
Within Georgia, Fulton County saw the largest total population change between July 2021 and July 2022, adding 12,103 residents, followed by Gwinnett County (10,208), Forsyth County (6,516), Cherokee County (6,439) and Chatham County (5,451).
Between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2022, Gwinnett County saw the largest increase of any Georgia county, adding 18,326 residents.
Some of the most populous counties nationwide experienced “significant” population declines in 2021. However, officials said that population “growth and decline patterns” for the nation’s 3,144 counties are shifting toward pre-pandemic rates.
“The migration and growth patterns for counties edged closer to pre-pandemic levels this year,” Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s population division, said in an announcement. “Some urban counties, such as Dallas and San Francisco, saw domestic outmigration at a slower pace between 2021 and 2022, compared to the prior year. Meanwhile, many counties with large universities saw their populations fully rebound this year as students returned.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
