Midwest, New Orleans Area Counties Top U.S. Population Gains

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(Washington D.C.) -- Of the 10 fastest growing counties in the nation between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, two were in the upper Midwest and two were in Louisiana, according to some recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The two Midwestern counties that made the top-ten list were Williams, N.D., which ranked third, and Dallas, Iowa, which was seventh.

Meanwhile, the presence of Louisiana counties St. Bernard (No. 2) and Orleans (No. 9) among the 10 fastest-growing counties in America provides evidence that the New Orleans area continues to rebound from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Another fast-growing county was in the Pacific Northwest: Franklin, Wash., which was fifth. Two county equivalents in Virginia, the independent cities of Manassas Park and Fredericksburg, checked in at fourth and sixth, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 were Charlton, Ga. (first); Hoke, N.C. (eighth) and Williamson, Texas (10th). None of these 10 counties was among the 10 fastest growing from 2000 to 2010.

The top 10 numeric gainers were all in the Sun Belt, with four in Texas: Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Tarrant. Another four were in Southern California: Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Diego. Rounding out the list were Maricopa, Ariz. and Miami-Dade, Fla.

Following are some other interesting findings from the recent Census Bureau look at county growth:

• Among the 50 fastest-growing counties from 2010 to 2011, 38 were in the South, with the remaining 12 split equally between the Midwest and West. Texas contained more of these counties than any other state, with 12. Georgia was next, with nine, followed by Virginia (seven), and North Dakota and North Carolina (tied with three apiece).

• Texas was home to eight of the 25 counties with the highest numerical gains and California was second with six. All but two were in the South or West: Kings, N.Y. (Brooklyn) and Cook, Ill. (Chicago).

• The three fastest-growing counties from 2000 to 2010 were Kendall, Ill.; Pinal, Ariz.; and Flagler, Fla. Between 2010 and 2011, they ranked 236th, 171st and 207th, respectively.

• Los Angeles was the most populous county, with 9.9 million residents on July 1, 2011.