The UNC Population Center has updated data on how population growth since 2010 has impacted how many people live in each legislative and congressional district in the state. The key issue:
While North Carolina’s population growth continues to outpace the nation, this growth is concentrated in the state’s urban areas. Nearly half of the state’s population growth since 2010 has occurred in two counties—Wake and Mecklenburg. Over this same time period, 49 of the state’s 100 counties have lost population.
Ordinarily, you’d think that urban growth would really help Democrats in the 2020 redistricting. That might not be the case, as among the areas most rapidly losing population is rural northeastern North Carolina, which has a heavily African-American population and thus leans very heavily Democratic. Also, some of the most rapidly growing districts are ones which Republicans currently hold:
The NC Senate district with the fastest estimated growth between 2010 and 2014 was District 41 in Mecklenburg County (Jeff Tarte). Senate District 41 has gained 28,600 new residents since 2010, an increase of 15.7%.
And:
Like the NC Senate, the NC House district with the fastest estimated growth between 2010 and 2014 was also in Mecklenburg: District 92 (Charles Jeter). District 92 grew by an estimated 19.5% between 2010 and 2014, gaining nearly 15,200 new residents.
