According to a study by Carolina Demography at the Carolina Population Center, although the population of North Carolina as a whole is growing substantially, populations in the state’s more rural municipalities are steadily declining.

Of the state’s 553 municipalities, about 41% have seen population decline from 2010-2016. Demographic Analyst at the Carolina Population Center Jessica Stanford noted that this decline hit certain areas of the state harder than others.

“There was quite a bit of decline in the Northeast Corridor and some municipalities such as Rocky Mount that had once been much larger and are seeing massive decline numerically,” said Stanford.

The 10 municipalities that have seen the largest decline have all been located in Bertie, Northampton or Washington Counties, according to the study.

Director of Carolina Demography at the Carolina Population Center Rebecca Tippet believes that the cause for these population declines could be “Natural Decrease”, a demographic phenomenon in which deaths outnumber births, along with long trends of outmigration among the youth population.

“That 15-34, 15-44 population that’s leaving often because economic opportunities in those areas have declined or disappeared,” said Tippet. “We’ve seen a huge shift away from manufacturing and agricultural employment.”

Tippet claims that while there may not be one clear solution to this population disparity, spending money in these rural municipalities would be a step in the right direction.

“Make it a point to get out and experience the state beyond your immediate 20-mile boundary,” says Tippet. “Don’t just stop at McDonald’s on your way down to the beach, but maybe take a 10 minute detour, go into Warsaw and see if you can find something interesting.”

The full report can be found here.