US Census Bureau: Clark County added 2nd most new residents in 2017
Clark County added more new residents last year than almost any other county in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released late Wednesday.
Nevada’s most populous county grew by 47,355 residents in 2017. Only Maricopa County, Arizona, home to most of the Phoenix metro area, added more new residents with 73,650.
Maricopa also topped the list in 2016, when Clark County ranked third behind Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston and many of its suburbs.
The city-county of Falls Church, Virginia, grew 5.1 percent in 2017 to rank as the nation’s fastest-growing county by percentage.
The Census Bureau pegged Clark County’s population at 2,204,079 as of July 1, up 2.2 percent from the July 1, 2016 estimate of 2,156,724. 
The bureau’s numbers are higher than state estimates for the county, which came in at just under 2.2 million people and a growth rate of about 1.6 percent. But the trend is basically same, said Nevada State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle.
While a “good chunk” of Clark County’s growth comes from the “natural increase” that occurs when births outnumber deaths, Hardcastle said, the population also is rising thanks to an improving economy and a growing local workforce.
“Overall, Clark is still a little further along on the recovery than the rest of the state,” he said.
During the run-up to the Great Recession, Clark County regularly ranked among the nation’s fastest-growing counties, with annual increases of 4 percent or more.
From July 1, 2003, to July 1, 2004, the county added more than 94,000 residents. Five years later, with the housing market in shambles, the population declined by almost 16,000 from July 1, 2008, to July 1, 2009, according to state estimates.
Nationwide, many recent population trends continued in 2017, census officials said.
The 10 largest U.S. counties all maintained their ranks from the previous year, and the 10 counties with the most new residents were once again located in the South and the West.
The Lone Star State in particular was anything but lonely last year, according to the census.
“Six of the top 10 largest-gaining counties were in Texas. They are Bexar, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Harris and Tarrant,” bureau demographer Molly Cromwell said in a statement. “The remaining four counties with the largest numeric gains were Maricopa County, Arizona; Clark County, Nevada; Riverside County, California; and King County, Washington.”
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.
On the rise
The 10 fastest-growing counties in the nation by numeric increase between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, according to estimates released late Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau:
1. Maricopa County, Arizona, up 73,650 to 4,307,033, 1.7 percent increase.
2. Clark County, Nevada, up 47,355 to 2,204,079, 2.2 percent.
3. Riverside County, California, up 36,744 to 2,423,266, 1.5 percent
4. Harris County, Texas, up 35,939 to 4,652,980, 0.8 percent.
5. Tarrant County, Texas, up 32,729 to 2,054,475, 1.6 percent.
6. King County, Washington, up 32,687 to 2,188,649, 1.5 percent.
7. Bexar County, Texas, up 30,831 to 1,958,578, 1.6 percent.
8. Dallas County, Texas, up 30,686 to 2,618,148, 1.2 percent.
9. Denton County, Texas, up 27,911 to 836,210, 3.5 percent.
10. Collin County, Texas, up 27,150 to 969,603, 2.9 percent.
