Nonmetropolitan Connecticut vs. Connecticut Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Nonmetropolitan Connecticut: 2022 Population = 186,116 2022 Percent of State = 5.13% Connecticut: 2022 Population = 3,626,205 2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.09% Attracting and retaining people to live, work, raise a family, and retire underlies the economic vitality of any region. Population growth is both a cause--and a consequence--of economic growth. Patterns of population growth and change reflect differences among regions to attract and retain people both as producers and consumers in their economy. The following graphs offer a broad overview of trends in the pattern of population growth and change of Nonmetropolitan Connecticut with comparisons to Connecticut and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Nonmetropolitan Connecticut vs. Connecticut's population growth over 1969-2022. The data used are those compiled by the Regional Income and Product Divisions of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Population, 1969-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 traces Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population rose from 141,990 in 1969 to 186,116 in 2022, for a net gain of 44,126, or 31.08%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population, 1969-2022 Figure 2. Figure 2 tracks Connecticut's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Connecticut's population rose from 3,000,000 in 1969 to 3,626,205 in 2022, for a net gain of 626,205, or 20.87%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 portrays Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Connecticut, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's population in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's overall population growth was 31.08% over 1969-2022 outpaced Connecticut's increase of 20.87%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Connecticut Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of Nonmetropolitan Connecticut is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Connecticut's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Connecticut's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population totaled 4.73% of Connecticut's population, while in 2022 it totaled 5.13% thereby yielding a +0.40% share-shift.
Nonmetropolitan Connecticut Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also illustrated on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average. On average, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population grew at an annual rate of 0.51% over 1970-2022. Nonmetropolitan Connecticut recorded its highest growth in 1978 (3.11%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1977 (-0.71%). In 2022, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population grew by 0.17% Nonmetropolitan Connecticut Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some nonmetropolitan regions have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again shows the annual percent change in Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's population since 1970, but this time they are displayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's annual population growth rate averaged 0.93%. It averaged 1.05% during the 1980s, 0.49% in the 1990s, 0.47% throughout the 2000s, -0.25% in the 2010s, 0.15% thus far this decade (2020-2022). Population Growth: Average Annual Percent Change by Decade Figure 7. Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Nonmetropolitan Connecticut noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Connecticut and the nation. As the chart reveals, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut's average annual population growth recorded above Connecticut's average throughout the 1970s (0.93% vs. 0.33%), topped Connecticut's average in the 1980s (1.05% vs. 0.58%), outgained Connecticut's average throughout the 1990s (0.49% vs. 0.31%), recorded under Connecticut's average throughout the 2000s (0.47% vs. 0.51%), trailed Connecticut's average in the 2010s (-0.25% vs. 0.13%), and lagged Connecticut's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.15% vs. 0.18%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Nonmetropolitan Connecticut fell under the nation during the 1970s (0.93% vs. 1.10%), surpassed the nation throughout the 1980s (1.05% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation during the 1990s (0.49% vs. 1.23%), fell below the nation during the 2000s (0.47% vs. 0.95%), trailed the nation throughout the 2010s (-0.25% vs. 0.74%), and recorded underneath the nation over 2020-2022 (0.15% vs. 0.31%).
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