Lacey Among NJ's Fastest Growing Populations Percentage-Wise

LACEY, NJ — Lacey gained 420 residents in 2018, according to new population estimates for cities and towns released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The estimates show which places gained or lost the most residents in 2018.

That figure gives Lacey the state's 32nd-largest growing population last year in terms of percentage, with a 1.46 percent increase from 2017.

Only two Ocean County towns grew more in 2018, percentage-wise:

• Barnegat Township, 479 more residents, 2.11% (21st overall)
• Lakewood Township, 1,886, 1.84% (26th)

Overall, New Jersey gained 19,977 residents in 2018 and had a total population of 8.9 million. According to the figures, the 2018 population for West Windsor was 28,045, an increase of 0.15 percent over 2017. It now has the 84th highest population in the state.

According to the estimates, more people moved to Phoenix than any other American city in 2018. Phoenix was among a handful of cities mainly in the West and the South that had the largest population increases in 2018.

New York City remains America's most populous city but more than 39,000 residents fled the Big Apple in 2018, the figures show. On the country's opposite coast, Los Angeles — the second-most populous city — gained nearly 8,500 residents.

San Antonio, Fort Worth, Seattle and Charlotte rounded out the top five cities with the largest population increases.

Ten communities in America exceeded the 50,000-population mark in 2018 while another three crossed the 100,000-population mark.

Overall, the 15 cities with the largest population increases in 2018 were:

1. Phoenix, Arizona
2. San Antonio, Texas
3. Fort Worth, Texas
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Charlotte, North Carolina
6. Austin, Texas
7. Jacksonville, Florida
8. San Diego, California
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Frisco, Texas
11. Columbus, Ohio
12. Henderson City, Nevada
13. McKinney, Texas
14. Las Vegas, Nevada
15. Miami, Florida

Read more: Here's How Each NJ Town's Population Changed In 2018

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