Census: Rowan County grew 1 percent from 2010 to 2016

Published 12:05 am Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Census estimates released last week show Rowan County grew slightly from 2010 to 2016.

The figures show the county grew by 1.09 percent in that span. It’s a smaller growth rate than most adjacent counties but better than many other counties in North Carolina.

Rowan County now has 139,933 residents, according to census estimates. At the time of the 2010 census, there were 138,428 people living here.

Among neighboring counties, Cabarrus was the fastest-growing. It topped 200,000 people in the latest estimates and saw a 13.24 percent growth rate from 2010 to 2016.

The slowest-growing neighboring county was Stanly, whose population grew by 0.3 percent.

Mecklenburg County remains the largest in North Carolina. It saw a 14.7 percent growth rate from 2010 to 2016. Since 2010, Mecklenburg County has added roughly the same number of people as the entire population of Rowan County.

Here are the growth rates from 2010 to 2016 for counties adjacent to Rowan:

• Cabarrus County: 13.24 percent

• Davie County: 1.8 percent

• Davidson County: 1.25 percent

• Iredell County: 8.45 percent

• Stanly County: 0.3 percent

In a news release, the Census Bureau said it will announce population estimates for cities and towns in the coming months.