South Carolina Leads The Nation In Population Growth

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South Carolina’s population expanded at a faster rate than that of any other state in the union last year, according to an analysis of U.S Census data.

The Palmetto State saw its population climb by 90,600 people from July 1, 2022 through July 1, 2023, according to the data. That’s a growth rate of 1.71 percent – besting Florida (1.64 percent) and Texas (1.58 percent) for the fastest expansion in the country.

While Texas (+473,453), Florida (+365,205), North Carolina (+139,526) and Georgia (+116,077) added more new citizens than South Carolina, no state saw greater growth as a percentage of its existing population.

Here is a visual look at the data courtesy of our incomparable research director (and soon-to-be South Carolina resident) Jenn Wood …

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Further dissecting the data, Greer saw the fastest year-over-year population growth of any large city in the Palmetto State – with its population expanding from 42,075 to 44,387 (+5.5 percent). Goose Creek also saw considerable year-over-year growth – with its population expanding from 47,602 to 49,249 (+3.5 percent), good for second best among South Carolina’s large cities. Myrtle Beach, which saw its population grow from 38,426 to 39,967 (+3.2 percent), had the third-fastest year-over-year population uptick.

As for the four largest municipalities in the state, historic Charleston saw its population climb from 153,745 to 155,369 (+1.1 percent), the state capital of Columbia grew from 139,676 to 142,416 citizens (+2 percent), North Charleston expanded from 118,598 to 121,469 people (+2.4 percent) and Mount Pleasant grew from 94,643 to 95,232 (+0.6 percent).

While America’s population expanded by 1.58 million (+0.5 percent) last year, not all states were growing. New York, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Hawai’i and West Virginia each saw their populations decline, with the Empire State leading the nation in both actual population loss (101,984 fewer citizens) and percentage loss (-0.52 percent).

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That continues a recent trend, as New York, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and West Virginia each lost one seat during the last round of congressional reapportionment (the decennial tabulation by which representation in the U.S. House of Representatives is determined).

While South Carolina is growing faster than its neighbors as a percentage of its population, it may not be growing fast enough to be awarded another seat in congress. According to the latest projections from the American Redistricting Project, Texas is projected to add four new congressional districts, compared to three for Florida and one apiece for Georgia, Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

South Carolina and Florida are listed among the “first three out” on the latest projections, though, meaning subtle shifts could easily change the calculus.

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Meanwhile, California is projected to lose four seats compared to three for New York, two for Illinois and one apiece for Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Census calculations don’t just impact congressional representation. Electoral votes are also allocated among the fifty states based on these decennial numbers. Each state receives two electoral votes by virtue of having two U.S. senators – plus a number of votes equal to the number of its congressional districts.

Given the aforementioned shifts, California, Illinois, and New York – all Democratic stalwarts – will be down one electoral vote apiece in 2024. So will Michigan and Pennsylvania – both of which went for Donald Trump in 2016 but flipped to Joe Biden in 2020. Ohio and West Virginia – both of which went for Trump in 2016 and 2020 – are also down one electoral vote. Florida, Montana and North Carolina – all of which gained one electoral vote – are expected to go for Trump a third consecutive time in 2024. So is Texas, which added two electoral votes.

Count on this media outlet to keep our audience in the loop not only on the latest population data, but its intersection with state and national politics …

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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