Fastest growing area in NC is Johnston County: 'It's been going crazy'
SMITHFIELD, N.C. (WTVD) -- New census data found Johnston County is the fastest-growing county in the state in the last 5 years, growing about 19 percent between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.
During the lunch rush at Gotham's Deli in Smithfield, it seems every day there's a new regular.
"It's amazing after being open for 21 years, we still almost every day have somebody come in that has lived here. That said, they have no idea that it was even here," says owner Scott Gandolph.
Like many others, the owner is a transplant - originally from New York, he says Smithfield has changed a lot in the 2 decades he's been here.
"It's been going crazy, hasn't it? It's, um, I think as, as Raleigh keeps pushing out, people saw how beautiful it is here in Johnston County," he says.
Around the county, construction can be seen, as the new builds around the county are trying to keep up with demand.
"I think nationwide, we're still at a point where we need to see more construction, absolutely. Locally. we're keeping up fairly well, but definitely need to keep building at this pace or faster," says Hunter Cutright, an owner and broker with Cutright Real Estate - EXP.
Cutright says the lower cost has been a big draw both for people moving from out of state and within the Triangle.
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While the median home price in Wake County is more than 550 thousand dollars over the Johnston County line, it's much less at 367 thousand dollars, but he says it goes beyond just the cost.
"I would say it isn't even as much the price difference, it's the product or the price, so when you come into Wake County, there's certain areas where you would be buying a townhome in Raleigh or Cary where you could be buying a single-family home in a price like Clayton or Smithfield," Cutright says.
And while the 540 extension is making it easier to commute, the county is also hoping to build on companies like Novo Nordisk and Grifols setting up shop right at home.
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"So it's my role is to grow the jobs opportunities here because obviously most people would much rather live in a community and work in the community as opposed to living here and have to drive 35, 40 minutes into another community to find a good quality job," says Chris Johnson, director of Johnston County Economic Development.
The Census data also found two of the other counties surrounding Wake also seeing record growth - both Franklin and Chatham are among the fastest-growing counties.
