Two North Georgia counties are among the 10 fastest-growing counties in the country, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dawson and Lumpkin both saw a 5.8% increase in population between July 2021 and July of last year. They tied for fourth in the nation behind Whitman County, Washington, the country’s fastest-growing county; Kaufman County, Texas; and Sumter County, Florida.
Half of the country’s fastest-growing counties were in Texas.
Lumpkin County, which is home to the University of North Georgia, saw its population increase to 34,796 last year after experiencing a slight decline during the pandemic. That was in keeping with similar trends in university towns across the nation, says Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s population division.
“The migration and growth patterns for counties edged closer to pre-pandemic levels this year,” said Hartley, adding that “many counties with large universities saw their populations fully rebound this year as students returned.”
Dawson County experienced steady growth from April 2020 to July 2022, adding approximately 1,600 new residents annually. During that time period, Dawson’s population rose from 26,796 to 30,138.
In Northeast Georgia, Hall County’s population reached 212,692 last year, making it the 10th most populous county in Georgia. Clarke County had the second-highest population in the region at 129,875.
Habersham County was the 5th most populous state in Northeast Georgia and the 44th most populous in the state.
Stephens County showed a slight decline in population from 2020 to 2021 but held steady in 2022. It had the slowest growth of any Northeast Georgia county for that timeframe.
According to the Census Bureau, Fulton County remained Georgia’s most populous county, with 1.1 million residents as of July 2022. Fulton was followed by Gwinnett, with a population of 975,353; Cobb, with 771,952 residents; and Dekalb, 762,820.
As of July 2022, twelve counties in Georgia had populations of 200,000 or more:
- Fulton County — 1,074,634
- Gwinnett County — 975,353
- Cobb County — 771,952
- DeKalb County — 762,820
- Chatham County — 301,107
- Clayton County — 296,564
- Cherokee County — 281,278
- Forsyth County — 267,237
- Henry County — 248,364
- Hall County — 212,692
- Richmond County — 206,640
- Muscogee County — 202,616
SEE:
