North Carolina added almost 200,000 people between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, and crossed the 9 million population mark for the first time, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
Only five states grew at a faster pace than North Carolina during the year, the census bureau said.
North Carolina's population grew 2.2 percent from 2006 to 2007 and reached 9,061,032, according to census- bureau estimates. North Carolina retained its 10th-place ranking among the states, behind Georgia and ahead of New Jersey.
Nevada was the fastest-growing state from 2006 to 2007, with a 2.9 percent gain. Arizona, which was fastest-growing from 2005 to 2006, fell back into second place. Texas added the most people during the year, increasing by 500,000.
Since the 2000 census was taken, North Carolina's population has grown by about 1 million people, or 12.6 percent, the census bureau said. The state ranked ninth in percentage growth from 2000 to 2007, and ranked sixth in numeric increase during that period.
People moving into North Carolina from other parts of the country accounted for about half of the growth from 2000 to 2007, according to the census bureau's estimates.
"This ongoing relocation of folks from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt is an important part of the equation," said Keith Debbage, a professor of geography at UNC Greensboro. "Most of those migrants are fairly affluent, fairly well-educated, and they are pursuing -- generally speaking -- a lower cost of living.
"When I teach my kids, a lot of people have a hard time accepting that we are bigger than New Jersey. It is still not widely known," Debbage said.
The other factor driving the state's growth is the continuing migration of Hispanics, he said.
The new figures did not include estimates for cities, counties or metropolitan areas in the state. Though those numbers are unlikely to show that the Triad is matching the pace of fast-growing Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham, Debbage said that the Triad's steady growth would be enviable in many parts of the country.
"We were hit disproportionately because of manufacturing- job losses," Debbage said. "But because of the number of companies we are recruiting, I can't see that those numbers will do anything but get better."
The census bureau's estimate is reached by measuring births, deaths, and migration into and out of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The total U.S. population was estimated at 301.6 million last July 1.
Among other states with marked population growth is Louisiana, which gained 50,000 residents and appears to be rebounding from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. After the storm hit in August 2005, the bureau estimated that the state lost 250,000 residents. Despite the most recent gain, Louisiana is far from returning to its pre-Katrina population level of 4.5 million.
Earlier this week, an urban-planning consultancy company, GCR & Associates, estimated New Orleans' population at 300,000, or about 65 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina size, which was around 455,000.
Greg Rigamer, GCR's chief executive and a native of New Orleans, said that people have been coming back to the city at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 a month, and that includes in-state migration. Things are looking up, he said, but New Orleans still suffers from failing infrastructure, poor health-care and educational services and a "horrific" crime problem.
"Things are not all well in New Orleans," he said. "They are clearly getting better. It's no time to be popping the champagne corks."
■ Wesley Young can be reached at 992-0067 or at wyoung
@wsjournal.com.
■ The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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