From 2010 to 2020, rural America experienced a slight population decline, contrary to decades of growth. However, recent data indicates a shift, with rural areas experiencing growth again, largely due to increased net migration.
The population in North Carolina’s 78 rural counties grew by 106,632 people from 2010-2020, a 2.9 percent increase. Despite this growth, many rural counties lost population during this time, and rural growth lagged that of suburban and urban counties. From 2020-2023, growth in rural North Carolina accelerated to 2.7 percent, adding almost as many people in just three years as in the previous decade. The difference between rural, suburban, and urban growth was narrower during this time. The number of counties losing population during this time fell from 42 to 18.