Population declining in states with relatively high dependence on government

Thus population growth has slowed, though remaining above the national average, in the District of Columbia (where it has surged through gentrification), Maryland and Virginia.

Advertisement

Growth rates have declined as well in other states with high levels of public sector and federal contract jobs — New Mexico, Alaska, Mississippi.

But growth rates have increased significantly in most of the Midwest and Rocky Mountain heartland. That has been especially true in the nation’s growth leader this decade, North Dakota, with its Bakken shale boom.

Growth has accelerated in Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, which are finally recovering from the collapse of their housing markets in 2007-10. Colorado and Arizona have been attracting migrants from other states, while Nevada’s growth is fueled mostly by immigrants.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement