The U.S. Census Bureau is taking population, educational, migration and other data they collect and creating some neat, interactive data visualizations.
One of the best is the Population Bracketology, which tests your knowledge of metro and state populations by using the NCAA basketball bracket method of picking winners. See how well you score.

Last week, we reported that 47 NC counties lost population from 2010 to 2012. But what’s happened since 2000?

Looking at the annual growth rate since the July 2000 estimate to the latest 2012 estimates, only nine NC counties have a negative annual growth rate (Lenoir, Yancey, Jones, Caswell, Mitchell, Northampton, Halifax, Martin, Washington).

Union County, which grew 66%, has the highest annual rate at 4.3%, followed by Brunswick (3.6%) and Wake (3.5%). The state’s annual rate is 1.6%, and population increased overall by 21%.

Here’s how the components of growth in NC last decade compares to 2010-2012:
International Net Migration: 16.1%, 2000-09; 23.3%, 2010-12
Domestic Net Migration: 50.6%; 33.6%
Natural Increase (births minus deaths): 33.3%, 43.1%

See where your county ranks with this interactive map.

The Triangle, a perennial front-runner in popularity rankings, has won another plaudit. Forbes magazine said today we're the nation's #2 brain magnet.

That's to say, the Raleigh-Durham-Cary metro area rates highly in terms of the number of college grads we've gained in recent years, when compared to the region's population aged 25 or more.

Forbes' finding is in keeping with other surveys that rank this area highly in terms of livability, affordability and other desirable traits.

The City of Oaks is now America’s 45^th largest city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual population estimates.

The city has cleared the 400,000 plateau with an estimated 405,791 residents - more than Cincinnati, St. Louis and Minneapolis.

The new population figure, released Tuesday, came as little surprise to city planners. For years, Raleigh officials have tried to keep the city's growth at 2 to 3 percent a year.

"Our goal is to make sure we manage our growth and maintain our quality of life," said Mitchell Silver, Raleigh's planning director.

The Capital City’s population first reached six figures in the 1960s. It had an estimated 122,830 residents in 1970, 201,111 in 1988, 306,252 in 2002 and 393,866 a year ago.

Charlotte is America’s 18^th most populous city with 709,441 residents. The Census Bureau estimates Durham has 229,174 residents, Chapel Hill has 53,546, and Cary has a population of 136,600.

Click here to see the Census estimates for all North Carolina towns and cities.

(hat tip: Anne Blythe)

Add this to the feathers in Sir Walter Raleigh's cap: Raleigh is tops in hospitality.

Forbes magazine, which appears to put out a new "best" list a day, writes that Raleigh is one of the places in "America that welcomed the most newcomers in 2008."

It's not the barbecue at the Pit or even Glenwood South's entertainment district that's the draw, however. The credit goes to the city's colleges: NCSU, Shaw, Meredith, St. Aug.'s and Peace.

Intellectual centers, the magazine states, "attract new residents because universities are large, relatively stable employers — and a steady flow of students keeps the population young."

Unlike many lists, this one didn't link Raleigh to Durham but rather to Cary — as a
Metropolitan Statistical Area. As such, the area's population is listed at 1,068,720.
Percent new to the metro: 6.14%

Nor can Raleigh claim to be No. 1. That honor went to Colorado Springs, Colo. Raleigh was No. 5, behind Bakersfield, Calif., Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas.