For the first time since the Civil War, the population of Madison County, Alabama is bigger than that of Mobile County’s across the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This vaults Madison County into the No. 2 spot in population and drops Mobile into the No. 3 spot among the state’s 67 counties.

Despite being eclipsed by Madison, Mobile County reported a gain in population, as did roughly 60% of all counties nationwide.

Mobile’s small increase of 242 people was its first gain of the decade, having remained stagnant for the better part of the last ten years.

RELATED: After annexation, Mobile is state’s second largest city (2023)

Madison County edged past Mobile County with a gain of 9,000 people just in the last year. Madison is now home to 412,600 people, currently about 900 more than Mobile.

Baldwin County, on the other hand, has grown by over nine percent since 2020. Baldwin has seen a surge of over 23,000 residents since the 2020 census.

Wahington, Clarke, Choctaw, Monroe and Escambia Counties all lost population both in the last year and since 2020.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP