Land Use Plan – 2002 - Stanly County, North Carolina

Population by Census Tract
STANLY COUNTY
Population by census tract was also compared in order to determine where growth has been
occurring within the county (Table 2-5 and Figure 2-1). Tract 9908, located in the southwestern
portion of the county, includes Stanfield and Locust and portions of the newly created Town of
Red Cross and has the highest population and highest growth rate between 1990 and 2000. The
population for tract 9908 in 2000 was 8,421 people. The tract’s population grew 26.7 percent
during the 1990 to 2000 time period. This is no doubt due to tract’s close proximity to Union and
Cabarrus Counties.
Tract 9902—which includes Badin and the northern portion of the Tillery Reservoir shoreline—
was the second-fastest growing tract at 24.6 percent. Tract 9907—which includes the Millingport
area—was the third-fastest growing tract at 22.9 percent. As with tract 9908, its growth can be
attributed to its close proximity to Union and Cabarrus Counties.
Table 2-5. Population Growth by Census Tract, Stanly County, 1990-2000.
Census 1990 2000 Percent Highest Highest
Tract Population Population Growth Population Growth
9901 7,142 7,745 8.44 2 6
9902 3,237 4,034 24.62 8 2
9903 3,648 3,902 6.96 9 7
9904 3,438 3,481 1.25 11 11
9905 3,352 3,577 6.71 10 8
9906 5,917 6,251 5.64 3 9
9907 3,431 4,218 22.94 7 3
9908 6,644 8,421 26.75 1 1
9909 4,579 5,150 12.47 6 5
9910 4,746 5,468 15.21 5 4
9911 5,631 5,853 3.94 4 10
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 and 2000.
Median Age and Age Distribution
Table 2-6 provides a comparison of median age statistics for Stanly County, the state of North
Carolina, and the United States. The median age for the population of Stanly County has been
aging over the past 20 years. For 1999 the median age was estimated to be 36.7 years of age.
This is consistent with state and national trends of aging. Stanly County’s median age has been
consistently higher than the state and national figures. It is projected for the next 20 years that
the county will continue to age and for the median age to become closer to that of the state as a
whole.
Table 2-6. Median Age of the Population, Stanly County,
State of North Carolina, and the United States, 1981-2020.
Year Stanly County 1
North Carolina 1
United States 2
1981 32.7 30.0 —
1990 34.8 33.0 32.8
2000 36.9 35.8 35.5
2010 Projected 38.6 38.3 —
2020 Projected 38.8 39.3 —
1 State of North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.
2 U.S. Census Bureau, 1981, 1990, and 2000.
Land Use Plan 2-4 6/02