Wondering why the streets have become so crowded in your beloved North Carolina?
It’s all those dang yankees.
Seriously, it’s a major trend as the Carolina’s are experiencing explosive population growth according to the new Census data.
North Carolina is already the ninth most populous state with 10.3 million residents, which places it behind Georgia and barely ahead of Michigan.
In terms of growth, it ranks fifth in the country, with 117,000 new residents moving to North Carolina in 2017.
Top 10 Most Populous States: 2017
| Rank | Name | 2010 | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | California | 37,254,518 | 39,296,476 | 39,536,653 |
| 2 | Texas | 25,146,100 | 27,904,862 | 28,304,596 |
| 3 | Florida | 18,804,594 | 20,656,589 | 20,984,400 |
| 4 | New York | 19,378,110 | 19,836,286 | 19,849,399 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 12,702,857 | 12,787,085 | 12,805,537 |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,831,565 | 12,835,726 | 12,802,023 |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,536,730 | 11,622,554 | 11,658,609 |
| 8 | Georgia | 9,688,690 | 10,313,620 | 10,429,379 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 9,535,721 | 10,156,689 | 10,273,419 |
| 10 | Michigan | 9,884,129 | 9,933,445 | 9,962,311 |
Top 10 States in Numeric Growth: 2016 to 2017
| Rank | Name | 2010 | 2016 | 2017 | Numeric growth |
| 1 | Texas | 25,146,100 | 27,904,862 | 28,304,596 | 399,734 |
| 2 | Florida | 18,804,594 | 20,656,589 | 20,984,400 | 327,811 |
| 3 | California | 37,254,518 | 39,296,476 | 39,536,653 | 240,177 |
| 4 | Washington | 6,724,545 | 7,280,934 | 7,405,743 | 124,809 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 9,535,721 | 10,156,689 | 10,273,419 | 116,730 |
| 6 | Georgia | 9,688,690 | 10,313,620 | 10,429,379 | 115,759 |
| 7 | Arizona | 6,392,309 | 6,908,642 | 7,016,270 | 107,628 |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,029,325 | 5,530,105 | 5,607,154 | 77,049 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 6,346,295 | 6,649,404 | 6,715,984 | 66,580 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 4,625,381 | 4,959,822 | 5,024,369 | 64,547 |
Read more about the nation’s population growth here: Census Est.