• North Carolina’s population is now approaching 9.9 million people.

• The state’s population has grown by more than 312,000 since the 2010 census, an increase of 3.3 percent.

• Brunswick County is part of the 7th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, the Myrtle Beach area.

• Five of the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties are in North Carolina: Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Harnett, Wake and Pender.

• Mecklenburg has about 990,000 people, making it the state’s biggest county.

• Northampton County, in the northeast corner of the state on the Virginia border, has had the sharpest percentage population drop, losing 5.7 percent of its population since 2010.