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Mapped: A Decade of Population Growth and Decline in U.S. Counties

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map showing changes in population in the us from 2010 to 2020

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A Decade of Population Growth and Decline in U.S. Counties

There are a number of factors that determine how much a region’s population changes.

If an area sees a high number of migrants, along with a strong birth rate and low death rate, then its population is bound to increase over time. On the flip side, if more people are leaving the area than coming in, and the region’s birth rate is low, then its population will likely decline.

Which areas in the United States are seeing the most growth, and which places are seeing their populations dwindle?

This map, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows a decade of population movement across U.S. counties, painting a detailed picture of U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2020.

Counties With The Biggest Population Growth from 2010-2020

To calculate population estimates for each county, the U.S. Census Bureau does the following calculations:

A county’s base population → plus births → minus deaths → plus migration = new population estimate

 
From 2010 to 2020, Maricopa County in Arizona saw the highest increase in its population estimate. Over a decade, the county gained 753,898 residents. Below are the counties that saw the biggest increases in population:

RankCountyPoint of ReferenceStatePop. Growth (2010–2020)
#1Maricopa CountyPhoenix, ScottsdaleArizona+753,898
#2Harris CountyHoustonTexas+630,711
#3Clark CountyLas VegasNevada+363,323
#4King CountySeattleWashington+335,884
#5Tarrant CountyFort Worth, ArlingtonTexas+305,180
#6Bexar CountySan AntonioTexas+303,982
#7Riverside CountyRiverside, Palm SpringsCalifornia+287,626
#8Collin CountyPlanoTexas+284,967
#9Travis CountyAustinTexas+270,111
#10Hillsborough CountyTampaFlorida+264,446

Phoenix and surrounding areas grew faster than any other major city in the country. The region’s sunny climate and amenities are popular with retirees, but another draw is housing affordability. Families from more expensive markets—California in particular—are moving to the city in droves. This is a trend that spilled over into the pandemic era as more people moved into remote and hybrid work situations.

Texas counties saw a lot of growth as well, with five of the top 10 gainers located in the state of Texas. A big draw for Texas is its relatively affordable housing market. In 2021, average home prices in the state stood at $172,500$53,310 below the national average.

Counties With The Biggest Population Drops from 2010-2020

On the opposite end of the spectrum, here’s a look at the top 10 counties that saw the biggest declines in their populations over the decade:

RankCountyPoint of ReferenceStatePop. Growth (2010–2020)
#1Cook CountyChicagoIllinois-90,693
#2Wayne CountyDetroitMichigan-74,224
#3Cuyahoga CountyClevelandOhio-50,220
#4Genesee CountyFlintMichigan-20,165
#5Suffolk CountyLong IslandNew York-20,064
#6Caddo ParishShreveportLouisiana-18,173
#7Westmoreland CountyMurrysvillePennsylvania-17,942
#8Hinds CountyJacksonMississippi-17,751
#9Kanawha CountyCharlestonWest Virginia-16,672
#10Cambria CountyJohnstownPennsylvania-14,786

The largest drops happened in counties along the Great Lakes, including Cook County (which includes the city of Chicago) and Wayne County (which includes the city of Detroit).

For many of these counties, particularly those in America’s “Rust Belt”, population drops over this period were a continuation of decades-long trends. Wayne County is an extreme example of this trend. From 1970 to 2020, the area lost one-third of its population.

U.S. Population Growth in Percentage Terms (2010-2020)

While the map above is great at showing where the greatest number of Americans migrated, it downplays big changes in counties with smaller populations.

For example, McKenzie County in North Dakota, with a 2020 population of just 15,242, was the fastest-growing U.S. county over the past decade. The county’s 138% increase was driven primarily by the Bakken oil boom in the area. High-growth counties in Texas also grew as new sources of energy were extracted in rural areas.

The nation’s counties are evenly divided between population increase and decline, and clear patterns emerge.

population changes in u.s. counties (%)

Pandemic Population Changes

More recent population changes reflect longer-term trends. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the counties that saw the strongest population increases were located in high-growth states like Florida and Texas.

Below are the 20 counties that grew the most from 2020 to 2021.

RankCountyPoint of ReferenceStatePop. Growth (2020–2021)
#1Maricopa CountyPhoenixArizona+58,246
#2Collin CountyPlanoTexas+36,313
#3Riverside CountyRiverside, Palm SpringsCalifornia+35,631
#4Fort Bend CountySugar LandTexas+29,895
#5Williamson CountyGeorgetownTexas+27,760
#6Denton CountyDentonTexas+27,747
#7Polk CountyLakelandFlorida+24,287
#8Montgomery CountyThe WoodlandsTexas+23,948
#9Lee CountyFort MyersFlorida+23,297
#10Utah CountyProvoUtah+21,843
#11Pinal CountySan Tan ValleyArizona+19,974
#12Clark CountyLas VegasNevada+19,090
#13Pasco CountyNew Port RicheyFlorida+18,322
#14Wake CountyRaleighNorth Carolina+16,651
#15St. Johns CountySt. AugustineFlorida+15,550
#16Hillsborough CountyTampaFlorida+14,814
#17Bexar CountySan AntonioTexas+14,184
#18Ada CountyBoiseIdaho+13,947
#19Osceola CountyKissimmeeFlorida+12,427
#20St. Lucie CountyFort PierceFlorida+12,304

Many of these counties are located next to large cities, reflecting a shift to the suburbs and larger living spaces. However, as COVID-19 restrictions ease, and the pandemic housing boom tapers off due to rising interest rates, it remains to be seen whether the suburban shift will continue, or if people begin to migrate back to city centers.

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Politics

Mapped: The World’s Legal Government Systems

The political regimes of the world’s countries have changed over centuries. This map charts the nine government systems that rule the world today.

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Mapping The World’s Legal Government Systems

With over 200 countries existing across the world with unique cultures and traditions, one might assume that there are hundreds of types of government systems. But both historically and in modern times, that’s not the case.

Even while political regimes across these countries have changed over time, they’ve largely followed a few different types of governance. Today, every country can ultimately be classified into just nine broad forms of government systems.

This map by Truman Du uses information from Wikipedia to map the government systems that rule the world today.

Countries By Type of Government

It’s important to note that this map charts government systems according to each country’s legal framework.

Many countries have constitutions stating their de jure or legally recognized system of government, but their de facto or realized form of governance may be quite different.

Here is a list of the stated government system of UN member states and observers as of January 2023:

CountryConstitutional formHead of state
AfghanistanProvisionaln/a
AlbaniaRepublicCeremonial
AlgeriaRepublicExecutive
AndorraConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
AngolaRepublicExecutive
Antigua and BarbudaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
ArgentinaRepublicExecutive
ArmeniaRepublicCeremonial
AustraliaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
AustriaRepublicCeremonial
AzerbaijanRepublicExecutive
Bahamas, TheConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
BahrainConstitutional monarchyExecutive
BangladeshRepublicCeremonial
BarbadosRepublicCeremonial
BelarusRepublicExecutive
BelgiumConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
BelizeConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
BeninRepublicExecutive
BhutanConstitutional monarchyExecutive
BoliviaRepublicExecutive
Bosnia and HerzegovinaRepublicCeremonial
BotswanaRepublicExecutive
BrazilRepublicExecutive
BruneiAbsolute monarchyExecutive
BulgariaRepublicCeremonial
Burkina FasoProvisionaln/a
BurundiRepublicExecutive
CambodiaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
CameroonRepublicExecutive
CanadaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
Cape VerdeRepublicExecutive
Central African RepublicRepublicExecutive
ChadProvisionaln/a
ChileRepublicExecutive
China, People's Republic ofRepublicCeremonial
ColombiaRepublicExecutive
ComorosRepublicExecutive
Congo, Democratic Republic of theRepublicExecutive
Congo, Republic of theRepublicExecutive
Costa RicaRepublicExecutive
Côte d'IvoireRepublicExecutive
CroatiaRepublicCeremonial
CubaRepublicExecutive
CyprusRepublicExecutive
Czech RepublicRepublicCeremonial
DenmarkConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
DjiboutiRepublicExecutive
DominicaRepublicCeremonial
Dominican RepublicRepublicExecutive
East TimorRepublicExecutive
EcuadorRepublicExecutive
EgyptRepublicExecutive
El SalvadorRepublicExecutive
Equatorial GuineaRepublicExecutive
EritreaRepublicExecutive
EstoniaRepublicCeremonial
EswatiniAbsolute monarchyExecutive
EthiopiaRepublicCeremonial
FijiRepublicCeremonial
FinlandRepublicCeremonial
FranceRepublicExecutive
GabonRepublicExecutive
Gambia, TheRepublicExecutive
GeorgiaRepublicCeremonial
GermanyRepublicCeremonial
GhanaRepublicExecutive
GreeceRepublicCeremonial
GrenadaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
GuatemalaRepublicExecutive
GuineaProvisionaln/a
Guinea-BissauRepublicExecutive
GuyanaRepublicExecutive
HaitiRepublicExecutive
HondurasRepublicExecutive
HungaryRepublicCeremonial
IcelandRepublicCeremonial
IndiaRepublicCeremonial
IndonesiaRepublicExecutive
IranRepublicExecutive
IraqRepublicCeremonial
IrelandRepublicCeremonial
IsraelRepublicCeremonial
ItalyRepublicCeremonial
JamaicaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
JapanConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
JordanConstitutional monarchyExecutive
KazakhstanRepublicExecutive
KenyaRepublicExecutive
KiribatiRepublicExecutive
KuwaitConstitutional monarchyExecutive
KyrgyzstanRepublicExecutive
LaosRepublicExecutive
LatviaRepublicCeremonial
LebanonRepublicCeremonial
LesothoConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
LiberiaRepublicExecutive
LibyaProvisionaln/a
LiechtensteinConstitutional monarchyExecutive
LithuaniaRepublicExecutive
LuxembourgConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
MadagascarRepublicExecutive
MalawiRepublicExecutive
MalaysiaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
MaldivesRepublicExecutive
MaliProvisionaln/a
MaltaRepublicCeremonial
Marshall IslandsRepublicExecutive
MauritaniaRepublicExecutive
MauritiusRepublicCeremonial
MexicoRepublicExecutive
MicronesiaRepublicExecutive
MoldovaRepublicCeremonial
MonacoConstitutional monarchyExecutive
MongoliaRepublicExecutive
MontenegroRepublicCeremonial
MoroccoConstitutional monarchyExecutive
MozambiqueRepublicExecutive
MyanmarProvisionaln/a
NamibiaRepublicExecutive
NauruRepublicExecutive
NepalRepublicCeremonial
NetherlandsConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
New ZealandConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
NicaraguaRepublicExecutive
NigerRepublicExecutive
NigeriaRepublicExecutive
North KoreaRepublicExecutive
North MacedoniaRepublicCeremonial
NorwayConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
OmanAbsolute monarchyExecutive
PakistanRepublicCeremonial
PalauRepublicExecutive
PalestineRepublicExecutive
PanamaRepublicExecutive
Papua New GuineaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
ParaguayRepublicExecutive
PeruRepublicExecutive
PhilippinesRepublicExecutive
PolandRepublicCeremonial
PortugalRepublicExecutive
QatarConstitutional monarchyExecutive
RomaniaRepublicExecutive
RussiaRepublicExecutive
RwandaRepublicExecutive
Saint Kitts and NevisConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
Saint LuciaConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
SamoaRepublicCeremonial
San MarinoRepublicExecutive
São Tomé and PríncipeRepublicExecutive
Saudi ArabiaAbsolute monarchyExecutive
SenegalRepublicExecutive
SerbiaRepublicCeremonial
SeychellesRepublicExecutive
Sierra LeoneRepublicExecutive
SingaporeRepublicCeremonial
SlovakiaRepublicCeremonial
SloveniaRepublicCeremonial
Solomon IslandsConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
SomaliaRepublicCeremonial
South AfricaRepublicExecutive
South KoreaRepublicExecutive
South SudanRepublicExecutive
SpainConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
Sri LankaRepublicExecutive
SudanProvisionaln/a
SurinameRepublicExecutive
SwedenConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
SwitzerlandRepublicExecutive
SyriaRepublicExecutive
TajikistanRepublicExecutive
TanzaniaRepublicExecutive
ThailandConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
TogoRepublicExecutive
TongaConstitutional monarchyExecutive
Trinidad and TobagoRepublicCeremonial
TunisiaRepublicExecutive
TurkeyRepublicExecutive
TurkmenistanRepublicExecutive
TuvaluConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
UgandaRepublicExecutive
UkraineRepublicExecutive
United Arab EmiratesConstitutional monarchyExecutive
United KingdomConstitutional monarchyCeremonial
United StatesRepublicExecutive
UruguayRepublicExecutive
UzbekistanRepublicExecutive
VanuatuRepublicCeremonial
Vatican CityAbsolute monarchyExecutive
VenezuelaRepublicExecutive
VietnamRepublicExecutive
YemenProvisionaln/a
ZambiaRepublicExecutive
ZimbabweRepublicExecutive

Let’s take a closer look at some of these systems.

Monarchies

Brought back into the spotlight after the death of Queen Elizabeth II of England in September 2022, this form of government has a single ruler. They carry titles from king and queen to sultan or emperor, and their government systems can be further divided into three modern types: constitutional, semi-constitutional, and absolute.

A constitutional monarchy sees the monarch act as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, giving them little to no real power. For example, King Charles III is the head of 15 Commonwealth nations including Canada and Australia. However, each has their own head of government.

On the other hand, a semi-constitutional monarchy lets the monarch or ruling royal family retain substantial political powers, as is the case in Jordan and Morocco. However, their monarchs still rule the country according to a democratic constitution and in concert with other institutions.

Finally, an absolute monarchy is most like the monarchies of old, where the ruler has full power over governance, with modern examples including Saudi Arabia and Vatican City.

Republics

Unlike monarchies, the people hold the power in a republic government system, directly electing representatives to form government. Again, there are multiple types of modern republic governments: presidential, semi-presidential, and parliamentary.

The presidential republic could be considered a direct progression from monarchies. This system has a strong and independent chief executive with extensive powers when it comes to domestic affairs and foreign policy. An example of this is the United States, where the President is both the head of state and the head of government.

In a semi-presidential republic, the president is the head of state and has some executive powers that are independent of the legislature. However, the prime minister (or chancellor or equivalent title) is the head of government, responsible to the legislature along with the cabinet. Russia is a classic example of this type of government.

The last type of republic system is parliamentary. In this system, the president is a figurehead, while the head of government holds real power and is validated by and accountable to the parliament. This type of system can be seen in Germany, Italy, and India and is akin to constitutional monarchies.

It’s also important to point out that some parliamentary republic systems operate slightly differently. For example in South Africa, the president is both the head of state and government, but is elected directly by the legislature. This leaves them (and their ministries) potentially subject to parliamentary confidence.

One-Party State

Many of the systems above involve multiple political parties vying to rule and govern their respective countries.

In a one-party state, also called a single-party state or single-party system, only one political party has the right to form government. All other political parties are either outlawed or only allowed limited participation in elections.

In this system, a country’s head of state and head of government can be executive or ceremonial but political power is constitutionally linked to a single political movement. China is the most well-known example of this government system, with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China ruling as the de facto leader since 1989.

Provisional

The final form of government is a provisional government formed as an interim or transitional government.

In this system, an emergency governmental body is created to manage political transitions after the collapse of a government, or when a new state is formed. Often these evolve into fully constitutionalized systems, but sometimes they hold power for longer than expected.

Some examples of countries that are considered provisional include Libya, Burkina Faso, and Chad.

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