Census 2010

In March 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau started releasing data from the 2010 Census of Population. This initial release provides state legislatures and local governments with the basic population counts required for redrawing Congressional, legislative and other representative boundaries.

The Census Bureau release shows that Alabama posted a 7.5% increase since 2000, bringing the state’s population to 4,779,736. The population of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area consisting of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, and Montgomery Counties increased by 28,008 in the ten year period to 374,536. Much of the region’s growth occurred in two counties: Autauga and Elmore. Both counties posted increases of greater than 20%.

Since 1990, a significant portion of the growth in Autauga County has been in and surrounding the City of Prattville. Between 1990 and 2000, the city’s population grew by 24.1% to 24,303. Prattville’s growth continued in the last decade as 9,657 residents were added bringing the city’s population to 33,960. At 39.7%, the city ten-year growth rate is one of the highest in the state. Among Alabama’s twenty most populous cities, Prattville’s growth rate between 2000 and 2010 is surpassed by only the City of Madison.

Not only has Prattville’s population increased, it has become more diverse. In 2000, 18% of the city’s residents identified themselves as a race other than white. In 2010, the percentage of residents classifying themselves as a part of a minority group rose to 21%. The percentage of Prattville residents of any race claiming Hispanic heritage rose between from 1.7% in 2000 to 3.1% in 2010.