Georgia’s population grew since 2010. What about Chattahoochee Valley?
Muscogee County’s population grew slightly from 2010 to 2018 — a trend that is not common in west central Georgia, according to estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Muscogee County’s population grew by 1.9% — from 190,573 in 2010 to 194,160 in 2018. Still, the county is down from its peak estimated population of just over 203,000 in 2013.
Last year marked the first time Muscogee County grew in population since 2013.
One immediate neighbor saw growth over the eight-year period. Harris County grew 7.7% with an estimated population of 34,475 in 2018.
Talbot, Marion and Chattahoochee counties all saw their population decrease.
The state’s metro Atlanta counties saw its population increase by the largest percentages. The county that grew the most over the eight year period was Forsyth County, which saw its population increase by 34.8 percent from 175,511 in 2010 to 236,612 in 2018. In terms of percentage growth, Forsyth ranked as the 9th fastest growing county in the country over that period.
When compared against counties that are home to the state’s second-tier cities of Augusta, Macon and Savannah, only Savannah’s Chatham County grew at a faster rate than Muscogee. Chatham grew by 9.1%. Augusta-Richmond County grew by only 0.5%. Macon-Bibb County saw its population decrease by 1.7%.
Census population estimates for town and cities are expected to be released later this month. Overall, Georgia saw its population increase by 8.6% from 2010 to 2018.
Data used in this map comes from U.S. Census estimates between April 1, 2010 and July 1, 2018.
It’s important to note that these numbers are estimates, and it’s different from the ten-year census. The 2020 Census will offer an official count of the entire U.S. population.
Those 2020 counts will be used to determine how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives. State officials will also use the 2020 numbers to redraw the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts.