Population Change in Appalachia Detailed in Report

The Appalachian Region's population grew about 7 percent from 2000 to 2010, compared with the almost 10 percent growth rate of the United States as a whole, according toThe Appalachian Region in 2010: A Census Data Overview, a report conducted for ARC by the Population Reference Bureau. In every Appalachian state exceptAlabama and Georgia, the growth rate of the Appalachian counties was lower than that of the non-Appalachian counties.

Population change varied greatly within the Region: while one-third of Appalachia's 420 counties lost population during the decade, nearly one in four grew at or above the national average. Most of the counties that lost population were in Northern Appalachia and Central Appalachia, although population loss was also found in parts of Alabama and Mississippi. Most of the fastest-growing counties were in Southern and South Central Appalachia, although some counties in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia also experienced rapid growth.

For more information on the report, contact ARC Senior Economist David Carrier or ARC GIS Specialist Keith Witt.