Greensboro Plan2Play Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2019

GREENSBORO PLAN2PLAY MASTER PLAN - 35

A Changing Population

Continuing Growth Greensboro is located in Guilford County. As the third largest city in North Carolina, Greensboro is home to 287,019 residents (2016 population). The community is growing in size and, like the country as a whole, increasing in average age. At the same time, family sizes are getting smaller and over 50% of Greensboro residents are now renters. With these shifts, a unique opportunity exists to improve and align this plan with the future community who will use and depend on the city’s parks and recreation resources. Since 2000, Greensboro has added 63,000 new residents, a growth rate that out-paces national and state trends. This growth is expected to continue and by 2038, Greensboro’s population is expected to grow by another 45,000 people. Still, it should be noted that Greensboro’s population growth rate has

been significantly lower than the rate of the other top ten cities in North Carolina and is projected to remain among the lower growth rates in the state over the next 20 years. For the purposes of this plan, the city’s growth assumption is based on recent Guilford County population projections from the North Carolina Office of State Budget Management (NC OSBM). NC OSBM projections show Guilford County will grow by 15.9%, or 80,000 people, from 2015 to 2037.