Census: Local Metro Areas Growing But NC Rural Counties Thinning

Guilford County's population has eclipsed the half-million mark, according to new figures released from the 2020 Census. 

Guilford remains the third most populous county in the state, now numbering over 541,000 people. Forsyth comes in fourth with about 382,000 according to new census figures shared by the research center Carolina Demography. 

That marks a growth of more than 52,000 folks in Guilford over the last ten years, and about 32,000 in Forsyth.

Behind those figures are a pattern that has been occurring in North Carolina for decades now. Metro areas are rapidly expanding, while rural areas are struggling to keep people. 

More than half of the state's counties lost population since 2010, with the hardest-hit areas down east. This is despite the fact that the overall state population grew by more than 900,000 people.

The release of the data marks the beginning of the redistricting period for the N.C. General Assembly, where the Republican majority will take the lead in redrawing the state's political boundaries.