National Sports

Huntsville now Alabama’s largest city, overtakes Birmingham

By KIM CHANDLER - Associated Press

by Rayos Syndication User

Huntsville has overtaken Birmingham as Alabama’s largest city.  U.S. Census numbers released Thursday show that Huntsville is now slightly more populous than Birmingham. Huntsville has a population of 215,006. Birmingham has a population of 200,733. Huntsville has seen rapid growth over the past decade. The population of the city has jumped by 19% since 2010. However, the Birmingham metro area remains the largest in the state. The Birmingham-Hoover Metro Statistical Area has 1.1 million people, while the Huntsville Metro Area has more than 490,000 people. 

Census: Alabama more diverse, a few counties driving growth

AP

by Rayos Syndication User

Alabama’s population has become slightly more diverse over the last 10 years. U.S. Census numbers released Thursday show that the percentage of people who identify as white dropped while the state saw an increase in the Hispanic population and people who identify as two or more races.  The percentage of people who identify as multiracial increased from 1.5% to 5.1%. The percentage of people who identify as Hispanic increased from 3.9% to 5.3%. Alabama’s population growth over the last decade has been largely fueled by a handful of booming counties, while the Black Belt region and other regions continue to shrink.