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 | | County, State | | Population | | Growth | | Flagler County, FL | 69,005 | 10.1% | | Kendall County, IL | 72,548 | 8.3% | | Loudoun County, VA | 239,156 | 8.1% | | Hanson County, SD | 3,786 | 7.9% | | Lincoln County, SD | 31,437 | 7.5% | | Lampasas County, TX | 20,718 | 7.3% | | Lyon County, NV | 43,230 | 7.2% | | Camden County, NC | 8,437 | 7.2% | | St. Johns County, FL | 152,473 | 6.7% | | Dallas County, IA | 49,591 | 6.6% |
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| Source: U.S. Census Bureau |
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Florida has 14 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States, more than any other state, according to a study released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Flagler County, in Northeast Florida between Daytona and Jacksonville, is No. 1, with population growth of more than 10 percent in the year ending June 30, 2004. The neighboring county to the north, St John's, was No. 9, with 6.7 percent growth. The oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine, is in St John's County.
Texas (12), Georgia (12), and Virginia (10) each had 10 counties or more each on the list. A total of 21 states did not have a single county among the 100 fastest growers.
Four midwestern counties made the top 10: Kendall in Illinois, Hanson and Lincoln in South Dakota, and Dallas in Iowa.
The evidence that America's bolt to the sun belt continues, as 60 percent of the fastest growing counties are located south of the Mason-Dixon line. The West was represented by 23 top 100 members and the Midwest had 17. The Northeast drew a goose egg.
Los Angeles is still the biggest U.S. county
Los Angeles continues to be the nation's most populous county with nearly 10 million residents. It grew by only 77,357 people in 2004, however, a gain of less than 1 percent. Maricopa County in Arizona had the largest numerical gain, with an increase of 112,233, or 3.3 percent, to a total of 3,501,001. Those two, plus Houston's Harris County, were the only three counties in the United States that ranked in the top 10 in both population and numerical increase.
No. 2 in total population gain was Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, which is attracting Angelenos fleeing high real estate prices there. Riverside gained 5 percent, a total of 89,128 people. Riverside is California's fastest growing county by percentage as well.
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