Alabama last year saw some of the nation’s more rapid growth among the Hispanic population, especially in a handful of rural areas.

Alabama’s Hispanic population climbed to more than 250,000 in 2022, a 3.8% increase since 2021, according to recently released population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. While that’s still a relatively small number compared to some states, such as Texas or California, that rate of growth in Alabama tied for the 8th fastest in the United States.

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Alabama added a total of nearly 9,200 Hispanic people between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022, according to the data. For reference, the state’s total population increased by about 24,500 people during that same period.

Alabama was tied with Idaho and North Carolina for the 8th fastest growing Hispanic population in any state. Ahead of them on the list were South Dakota (6.8%), Maine (6.5%), Montana (5.5%), South Carolina (5.5%), Tennessee (5.3%), West Virginia (5%) and New Hampshire (4.9%).

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Alabama’s Hispanic population growth was spread across the state, with nearly every county experiencing at least some growth, and a handful seeing double-digit percent increases in just a year. But several small, rural counties saw the fastest increases, with Pickens County leading the way.

Pickens is a small county in far west Alabama along the Mississippi border. The Hispanic population there grew by more than 17% in just a year, the fastest growth in the state.

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The Hispanic population in Pickens County is still relatively small, but the growth pushed the number of Hispanic people past the 1,000 mark, and the population there is about 6% Hispanic.

Most of the fastest growth for Hispanic populations was in rural areas, including Pickens, Marengo and Crenshaw counties, which all saw more than 10% growth from 2021 to 2022.

But in terms of total people added, no county saw a bigger gain than Madison.

Madison County, home to fast-growing Huntsville, added more than 1,000 Hispanic people in 2022. Jefferson County, the largest county in the state and home to Birmingham, was second with more than 700 new Hispanic residents. It was virtually tied with Baldwin County, one of the fastest growing counties in Alabama and home to the state’s beaches.

RELATED: These were Alabama’s fastest growing cities in 2022

Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Or questions about Alabama that data may be able to answer? Email Ramsey Archibald at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here.