Beaufort County named 12th fastest-growing community in U.S.
Beaufort County has once again landed a spot on the list of the nation’s fastest-growing communities, according to statistics released Thursday by the U.S. Census.
The Hilton Head, Bluffton, and Beaufort metro area was listed as the 12th fastest-growing community in the nation with a population growth of 2.6 percent from 2014-2015.
The population of Beaufort County increased by about 5,200 in one year. From 2013-1014, the Beaufort County was listed as the No. 13 fastest-growing community in the U.S. with a one-year population gain of 4,700.
The Myrtle Beach area was the nation's second-fastest growing metro area with a population increase of 3.5 percent while the Charleston area posted 2.4 percent growth and was 19th.
Top 20 growth areas
The fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation between July 2014 and July 2015:
1. The Villages, Fla.
2. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
3. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
4. Midland, Texas
5. Odessa, Texas
6. Greeley, Colo.
7. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
8. Bend-Redmond, Ore.
9. Punta Gorda, Fla.
10. Fort Collins, Colo.
11. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
12. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort
13. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.
14. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Fla.
15. College Station-Bryan, Texas
16. Raleigh, N.C.
17. St. George, Utah
18. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
19. Charleston-North Charleston
20. Provo-Orem, Utah
Source: Census Bureau
This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Beaufort County named 12th fastest-growing community in U.S.."