South Central (WDA 9) vs. Washington Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction South Central (WDA 9): 2022 Population = 337,921 2022 Percent of State = 4.34% Washington: 2022 Population = 7,785,786 2022 Percent of U.S. = 2.34% 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 South Central (WDA 9) with comparisons to Washington and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing South Central (WDA 9) vs. Washington'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 tracks South Central (WDA 9)'s annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, South Central (WDA 9)'s population rose from 183,633 in 1969 to 337,921 in 2022, for a net gain of 154,288, or 84.02%. 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 Washington's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Washington's population rose from 3,343,000 in 1969 to 7,785,786 in 2022, for a net gain of 4,442,786, or 132.90%. 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 shows South Central (WDA 9)'s population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Washington, 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. South Central (WDA 9)'s overall population growth was 84.02% over 1969-2022 trailed Washington's increase of 132.90%, and topped the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Washington Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of South Central (WDA 9) is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Washington's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Washington's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, South Central (WDA 9)'s population totaled 5.49% of Washington's population, while in 2022 it comprised 4.34% thereby yielding a -1.15% share-shift.
South Central (WDA 9) Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of South Central (WDA 9)'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 traced 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, South Central (WDA 9)'s population grew at an annual rate of 1.16% over 1970-2022. South Central (WDA 9) recorded its highest growth in 1970 (2.79%) and posted its lowest growth in 1986 (-0.37%). In 2022, South Central (WDA 9)'s population grew by 0.36% South Central (WDA 9) Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some workforce development areas have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again traces the annual percent change in South Central (WDA 9)'s population since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, South Central (WDA 9)'s annual population growth rate averaged 1.66%. It averaged 0.97% throughout the 1980s, 1.74% throughout the 1990s, 0.95% throughout the 2000s, 0.72% throughout the 2010s, 0.37% 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 South Central (WDA 9) noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Washington and the nation. As the chart reveals, South Central (WDA 9)'s average annual population growth posted below Washington's average throughout the 1970s (1.66% vs. 1.85%), recorded under Washington's average during the 1980s (0.97% vs. 1.70%), posted below Washington's average during the 1990s (1.74% vs. 2.10%), fell below Washington's average in the 2000s (0.95% vs. 1.33%), trailed Washington's average throughout the 2010s (0.72% vs. 1.37%), and trailed Washington's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.37% vs. 0.64%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, South Central (WDA 9) registered above the nation during the 1970s (1.66% vs. 1.10%), outpaced the nation during the 1980s (0.97% vs. 0.95%), topped the nation during the 1990s (1.74% vs. 1.23%), posted below the nation throughout the 2000s (0.95% vs. 0.95%), recorded underneath the nation throughout the 2010s (0.72% vs. 0.74%), and outperformed the nation over 2020-2022 (0.37% vs. 0.31%).
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