Johnston County towns continued their growth last year, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate. At the same time, the entire county’s population grew by 6,440 to 157,437.

All 10 towns in Johnston experienced growth between mid-2006 and mid-2007, according to the Census Bureau estimates, released July 10. Clayton led the pack with a 7.9-percent surge, from 13,845 residents to 14,948. Smithfield grew by 2.9 percent, from 12,196 people to 12,544, and Selma by 1.8 percent, from 6,702 residents to 6,820.

The county’s smaller towns, such as Kenly and Four Oaks, had similar growth rates. Kenly’s population grew by 2.5 percent, from 1,854 to 1,901, while the number of folks in Four Oaks grew 2.4 percent, from 1,821 to 1,864.

The whole county’s population grew by 4.3 percent, according to the estimates. Johnston was the fifth-fastest growing county in the state.

Clayton was the eighth-fastest growing town in North Carolina, trumping such cities as Cary, which grew by 7.3 percent.

Clayton’s growth has been significant throughout the decade. The town had grown by 72 percent between the most recent census in 2000 and July 2007.

Clayton Town Manager Steve Biggs said the Census Bureau’s figures were in line with the town’s estimates. “To me, it’s encouraging to see that we are not growing faster than we estimated,” Biggs said. “This way, we can still provide needed services to our residents.”

Johnston County grew by almost 28 percent between the 2000 census and mid-2007. County Manager Rick Hester thinks that’s because of several factors, such as a good location, affordable home prices and a good quality of life.

“Johnston County is an attractive place to live in because it’s close to the Triangle, but homebuyers can get more bang for their buck here than in Wake County,” Hester said. “We also have a good transportation network, including interstates 40 and 95, as well as U.S. 70. And thanks to the new U.S. 70 bypass of Clayton, we are now even closer to Raleigh and other areas of the Triangle.”

The county wants to help create job opportunities in Johnston so fewer residents will have to commute for work, Hester said.

That includes trying to help with attracting new businesses while encouraging existing ones to expand, the county manager said.

(The News & Observer Database Manager David Raynor contributed to this story)