SALISBURY – Rowan County saw total population growth of about 3,500 from 2010 to 2019, and Salisbury’s population grew by about 500 over the same period, according to population estimates for municipalities released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Other municipalities in Rowan County, except for Kannapolis, had small population increases or 2019 estimates similar to 2010 totals. Kannapolis is partly in Cabarrus County, and the population is estimated to have increased by about 1,200. In the same time period, Cabarrus County’s population has grown by nearly 40,000, and Concord’s population has grown by an estimated 17,000. Davidson County experienced a growth rate similar to that of Rowan’s, with an increase of less than 5,000.

The latest population estimates for Rowan County’s municipalities are as follows:

• Salisbury: 33,988
• Kannapolis (Rowan and Cabarrus): 50,841
• China Grove: 4,220
• Spencer: 3,257
• Landis: 3,138
• Granite Quarry: 3,012
• Rockwell: 2,159
• East Spencer: 1,551
• Cleveland: 872
• Faith: 806

North Carolina saw the largest proportional growth in major metro areas, including Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle regions. That growth extends to nearby municipalities in suburban areas.

A news release from the U.S Census Bureau noted rapid growth in the southern and western regions of the country. Charlotte received a mention because it rose to 15th place in the country’s most-populous cities, placing it above San Francisco and Indianapolis, which both fell out of the top 15. Charlotte ranked eighth on the list of fastest-growing cities by its population increase number. From 2010-2019, an estimated increase of 150,101 placed it just below New York City’s increase of 161,786.

Apex, located in the Raleigh area, was the second-fastest growing “large city” in the country by percentage, with a 10.1% jump from 2018-2019. It was topped only by Leander, Texas, which is in the Austin area.

The municipal population estimates were released while the U.S. Census Bureau is still in the process of collecting responses to the 2020 census. The self-response rate overall sits at 60.1%. Of those responses, most have been submitted online. North Carolina has a 56.4% response rate, coming in below the national average, while Rowan County has a 58.9% response rate.

Rowan County has a higher response rate than Cabarrus and Stanly Counties, which are both within a percentage.

Davie County had a 64.8% report rate. Salisbury came in under the state and the county as a whole with a response rate of 55.8%.

China Grove, by comparison, had a 59.9% response rate.