Raleigh and Wake County posted huge population gains during the first decade of the 2000s, the U.S. Census Bureau revealed Wednesday in releasing the first set of county- and municipal-level data for North Carolina from the 2010 Census.

Raleigh’s population soared 46.3 percent during the decade to 403,892 as of April 1, 2010, the official date for the 2010 Census. Raleigh remains firmly entrenched as the second largest city in North Carolina, trailing only Charlotte. The Queen City grew by 35.2 percent during the past decade, and its population as of April 1 was 731,424.

The city of Durham grew by 22.1 percent, to 228.330. The Bull City trails Winston-Salem for fourth place among the state’s largest cities. Winston-Salem grew by 23.6 percent, to 229, 617.

Greensboro is No. 3 in the state at 269,666.

A 43.5 percent population surge carried Wake County past another major milestone and within striking range of overtaking Mecklenburg as the largest county in the state. The Census pegged Wake’s population as of April 1 at 900,993. The population in Mecklenburg County –home of Charlotte – stood at 919,628 after growing by 32.2 percent over the decade.

Durham County’s population was 267,587.