U.S. population growth 2000-2007

Regional trends

The U.S. population passed the 300 million mark in 2007 according to U.S. Census estimates. The fastest growing regions are the Rockies, the southeast Atlantic states, Texas and various medium to small sized cities in the Pacific coast states. The states stretching from the midwest to the northeast, on the other hand are growing more slowly.

Population growth dominated by minorities

The U.S. minority population now contributes 86% of the population increase in the country. The hispanic minority, the nation's largest is growing at 3.7% per year, and now contributes half of the population growth in the country. the black minority, the second largest, is increasing at 2.5%, and there has been an increasing trend of black migration into the south in recent years. The Asian minority is growing at 3.2% per year with its largest nucleus being in California.

In contrast, the white (nonhispanic) population is only increasing at 0.3% per year, which is a marked decrease from recent decades. White baby boomers are now moving into their 50s and 60s and average white family size has been steadily decreasing. Although it is increasing slowly, the white population is beginning to parallel the pattern of population growth in European countries, some of which are approaching a zero growth rate.

State trends

• Florida had an overall ranking of #7 in population growth from 2000-2007, but in the one-year period 2006-2007 it plunged to #19 due to the crash of its housing market. The state has been battered by hurricanes, which has resulted in a quadrupling of homeowner's insurance and higher property taxes in many cases. The result has been a dramatic decrease in the number of people moving to the state and a lot of people leaving the state looking for a more affordable place to live.
• #1 Nevada and #2 Arizona in the torrid desert southwest have been jockeying back and forth for the top spot during the last couple of years. Both of these states have strong job creation and job markets. They are picking up a lot of immigration from other states, particularly from California. Legal and illegal immigration from Mexico and Latin America is fueling the population increase in their burgeoning hispanic populations. .
• #3 Utah, #5 Idaho and #8 Colorado are three Rocky Mountain states that are not in the sunbelt, but their appeal is in their outdoorsy lifestyle. They each have a high birth rate and a recent surge in migration from other states which has coincided with the slow-down in California and Florida.
• #4 Georgia, #9 North Carolina and #11 South Carolina are three states that are surging ahead of Florida in the east. Their African-american populations are considerably larger than their hispanic populations. In recent years they have become attractive to job hunters and retirees looking for a low-cost alternative to Florida.
• #6 Texas has a moderate cost of living and solid job creation. It continues to draw large numbers of job hunters from other states and immigrants from abroad, particularly Mexico and Central America. Two thirds of its growth comes from its hispanic population.
• #10 Delaware is a small state with a reasonable cost of living, which is exactly the thing which has drawn a steady stream of immigrants from surrounding states in recent years. Its minority populations are growing and many retirees are moving into the state.
• California is at #18 on the list. A significant number of people are still moving here from foreign countries, But even more people are leaving California's high cost of living behind and heading for other states.
• #51 Louisiana lost a quarter of a million residents after being hit by Hurricane Katrina. Several thousand former residents of New Orleans returned in 2006 and 2007 to try to pick up the pieces.

U.S. population change 2000-2007

State	Percent change	Census 2000	2007 estimate	Change
Nevada	28.38	1998257	2565382	567125
Arizona	23.55	5130632	6338755	1208123
Utah	18.46	2233169	2645330	412161
Georgia	16.59	8186453	9544750	1358297
Idaho	15.88	1293953	1499402	205449
Texas	14.64	20851820	23904380	3052560
Florida	14.20	15982378	18251243	2268865
Colorado	13.03	4301261	4861515	560254
North Carolina	12.57	8049313	9061032	1011719
Delaware	10.36	783600	864764	81164
South Carolina	9.86	4012012	4407709	395697
Washington	9.74	5894121	6468424	574303
Oregon	9.53	3421399	3747455	326056
Alaska	9.02	626932	683478	56546
Virginia	8.95	7078515	7712091	633576
New Mexico	8.29	1819046	1969915	150869
Tennessee	8.22	5689283	6156719	467436
California	7.92	33871648	36553215	2681567
New Hampshire	6.48	1235786	1315828	80042
Montana	6.17	902195	957861	55666
Maryland	6.08	5296486	5618344	321858
Arkansas	6.04	2673400	2834797	161397
Hawaii	5.93	1211537	1283388	71851
Wyoming	5.88	493782	522830	29048
Minnesota	5.65	4919479	5197621	278142
South Dakota	5.48	754844	796214	41370
Missouri	5.06	5595211	5878415	283204
Kentucky	4.94	4041769	4241474	199705
Oklahoma	4.83	3450654	3617316	166662
Wisconsin	4.44	5363675	5601640	237965
Indiana	4.35	6080485	6345289	264804
Alabama	4.06	4447100	4627851	180751
Nebraska	3.70	1711263	1774571	63308
Illinois	3.49	12419293	12852548	433255
Maine	3.32	1274923	1317207	42284
Kansas	3.26	2688418	2775997	87579
New Jersey	3.23	8414350	8685920	271570
Connecticut	2.84	3405565	3502309	96744
District of Columbia	2.84	572059	588292	16233
Mississippi	2.61	2844658	2918785	74127
Iowa	2.11	2926324	2988046	61722
Vermont	2.04	608827	621254	12427
New York	1.69	18976457	19297729	321272
Massachusetts	1.59	6349097	6449755	100658
Michigan	1.34	9938444	10071822	133378
Pennsylvania	1.24	12281054	12432792	151738
Ohio	1.00	11353140	11466917	113777
Rhode Island	0.91	1048319	1057832	9513
West Virginia	0.2	1808344	1812035	3691
North Dakota	-0.39	642200	639715	-2485
Louisiana	-3.93	4468976	4293204	-175772
U.S. TOTAL	7.18	281421906	301621157	20199251

US Population Trends, 2000-2006
Fastest Growing US States 2000-2006
Fastest growing US metropolitan areas 2000-2006

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State population projections to 2030
US-1 Spanish Influence' Files
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