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     Flagler County in Florida, located along the Atlantic Coast between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, was the fastest-growing county for the second year in a row with a 10.7 percent population increase from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Flagler, with 76,410 residents, also led the nation with a 53 percent population increase since Census 2000.

     According to the estimates, all but one of the top-10 fastest-growing counties between 2004 and 2005 are located in either the South or the West, with Lyon, Nev. (near Carson City), ranking second at 9.6 percent; Kendall, Ill. (in the Chicago area), third at 9.4 percent; Rockwall, Texas (near Dallas), fourth; Washington, Utah (the lone county in the St. George metro area), fifth; Nye, another Nevada county, sixth at 7.4 percent; and Pinal, Ariz. (near Phoenix), seventh at 6.9 percent.

     Rounding out the top 10 were three counties in Virginia: Loudoun, near Washington, D.C., ranked eighth with a population increase of 6.8 percent; King George, ninth with 6.7 percent; and Caroline (near Richmond) 10th at 6.5 percent. Another Chicago-area county — Grundy, Ill., just missed the top 10, ranking 11th. (See Table 1. Excel | PDF)

     Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes the cities of Scottsdale and Phoenix, has gained 563,000 residents since Census 2000, the largest numerical increase of the nation’s 3,141 counties. Maricopa’s population grew 137,000 from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005, which is also the biggest gain in the country during that time period.

     Besides Maricopa, the 10 counties that added the largest number of residents between 2004 and 2005 included three in Florida (Orange, Hillsborough and Lee), three in Texas (Harris, Tarrant and Collin), two in California (Riverside and San Bernardino) and one in Nevada (Clark). (See Table 2. Excel | PDF)

     Los Angeles, Calif., continued to be the most populous county in the nation, with 9.9 million residents on July 1, 2005, followed by Cook, Ill. (5.3 million); Harris, Texas (3.7 million); and Maricopa, Ariz. (3.6 million). (See Table 3. Excel | PDF)

     Other highlights:

Growth: 2004-2005

Fastest-growing counties with populations over 10,000

• Among the 20 fastest-growing counties over the one-year period, 13 are located in the South, four in the West and three in the Midwest.
• Florida had 15 counties among the 100 fastest-growing; Georgia had 12 and Texas had 11.
• The fastest-growing county in the Northeast was Pike, Pa., ranking 72nd with a population increase of 4.2 percent over the one-year period. Pike was the only county in that region to make the list of 100 fastest- growing counties.

Top numerical gainers

• More than half of the counties among the top-20 numerical gainers were located in either Texas (six) or Florida (five). All the counties on this top-20 list were in the South or West, with the exception of Will, Ill.
• Twenty-two of the nation’s counties gained more than 20,000 residents between 2004 and 2005.

Growth: 2000-2005

Fastest-growing counties with populations over 10,000

• Flagler County, Fla., grew by 53 percent between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2005, making it the fastest-growing county over the period. Joining Flagler among the top 10 were four counties in Georgia, all in the Atlanta metro area: Forsyth (fifth), Henry (seventh), Newton (eighth) and Paulding (10th). The remainder were Loudoun, Va. (second); Rockwall, Texas (third); Kendall, Ill. (fourth); Douglas, Colo. (sixth); and Lincoln, S.D. (ninth). (See Table 4. Excel | PDF)
• Overall, 13 of the 20 fastest-growing counties were located in the South, while another five — Kendall, Ill.; Lincoln, S.D.; Delaware, Ohio; Scott, Minn.; and Hamilton, Ind.; — were located in the Midwest. Only two counties on the list — Douglas, Colo., and Lyon, Nev., — were located in the West.
• The fastest-growing county in the Northeast was Pike, Pa., (84th overall, with a growth rate of 22 percent).

Top numerical gainers

• Besides Maricopa, Ariz., four California counties (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange), three in Texas (Harris, Tarrant and Collin), one in Nevada (Clark) and one in Florida (Broward) were also among the top-10 numerical gainers. (See Table 5. Excel | PDF)
• Between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2005, 26 counties had population gains of more than 100,000.

Most Populous Counties in 2005

• Of the 20 most populous counties in 2005, nine were located in the West, six in the South, two in the Midwest and three in the Northeast.
• California has the most counties among the 20 most populous (six), followed by Texas (four), New York (three) and Florida (two).

     The Census Bureau’s Internet tables show July 1 population estimates for 2000 through 2005, as well as the April 1, 2000, census counts. Also included are rankings and estimates of components of population change (births, deaths, net internal migration and net international migration) for all counties.