By Samuel Motley

Samuel.motley@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Rowan County and most of its municipalities have seen trickling increases in population since 2010 and 2017, according to data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Compared to other municipalities between the 2017 and 2018 census estimates, Kannapolis saw the fastest growth and the highest percentage increase in population. The city’s population rose by 992 from 2017 to 2018, according to the census data, a 2% increase.

Meanwhile, from 2010 to 2018, Kannapolis saw an estimated 16.6% increase in population. Kannapolis City Mayor Darrell Hinnant said the city’s rapid growth rate is attributed to its proximity to Charlotte.

Roughly five to 10 years ago, Concord was to Kannapolis what Kannapolis is now to the rest of Rowan County, Hinnant said.

Concord, at the time, was quickly expanding, he said.

“It made us in Kannapolis wonder what we were doing wrong,” he said.

Hinnant is anticipating growth to continue to spread out into Rowan County as Charlotte continues to expand. Because of this, Kannapolis is making plans for an infrastructure project at Old Beatty Ford Road to help prepare foran economic development project there, he said.

Kannapolis’ 2018 estimated population is an estimated 49,761, according to census data.

Salisbury saw the second-biggest numeric increase in population between 2017 and 2018. Though, it was far from what was seen by its southern neighbor. Salisbury grew by 104 people, according to the census data. The city’s percentage growth rate, however, was roughly 0.3% from 2017 to 2018 — on par with the rest of Rowan County, according to the census data.

Meanwhile, from 2010 to 2018, Salisbury’s population grew by 344, the data shows. This is an estimated 1% increase in population since 2010.

Salisbury’s estimated population, as of the 2018 estimate, is 33,834.

Overall, Rowan County’s estimated population for 2018 is roughly 141,262, according to the census data. Rowan’s population increased by 725 between 2017 and 2018, an increase of 0.5%.

From 2010 to 2018, the county saw an estimated 2% increase, adding 2,894 people.

By comparison, neighboring counties Cabarrus and Iredell saw higher growth.

According to a Census Bureau news release on the new data, which represents the population estimates for towns and cities across the country as of July 2018, other North Carolina cities and towns are some of the fastest-growing areas in the country.

This mirrors overall trends that the fastest-growing regions between 2017 and 2018 census years were in the South and West, according to the news release.

Apex was the fastest-growing municipality in the state, with a growth rate of 6.8% between 2017 and 2018, the Census Bureau said.

Between July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018, the town ranks No. 3 in the country among the fastest-growing cities and towns with populations of more than 50,000. Its 2018 projected population is 53,852, according to the news release.

Charlotte had the biggest numeric growth in population between July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018. It added an estimated 13,151 people — ranking five in the country for numeric growth during this time. Its 2018 population is roughly 872,500, the news release says.

From July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2018, the U.S. saw a 0.6% increase in population. The country’s July 1, 2018, population was estimated at roughly 327,167,434, an increase of 2,020,313 people over the previous year.

Contact reporter Samuel Motley at 704-797-4264.