The Midlands population has grown by 2 percent since 2010.

An estimated 784,745 live in the Columbia metropolitan area, up from 769,819 counted in 2010, according to new Census data.

The metropolitan area is made of six counties: Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Saluda, Calhoun and Fairfield.

The Greenville metro area also saw a 2 percent growth, to 842,853 people. Along the coast, the Hilton Head/Bluffton/Beaufort area grew by 3 percent to 193,882 people, the Census reported.

-- Noelle Phillips