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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Census: Idaho 4th fastest-growing state

Idaho is the fourth-fastest-growing state, according to 2010 Census results released today, even though the state's population growth in the past decade was slower than the previous decade. Idaho gained 21 percent more residents for a 2010 population of 1,567,582, which is 273,629 more than in 2000. Nationwide, the population grew 9.7 percent since the last Census.

The census showed the U.S. population shifting from the northeast and midwest to the south and west; states that gained an additional congressional seat included Washington, Utah, Nevada and Arizona, while those losing seats included Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Twelve seats shifted in 18 states, but there was no change in Idaho. The census also showed that Idaho ranked 46th in the nation for population density, with just 19 people per square mile; Wyoming was the least-dense at 5.8 people per mile. Here's a link to a map showing every state's percentage population change; Nevada's was the highest, at 35.1 percent, while Utah and Arizona both edged out Idaho with 23.8 and 24.6 percent growth, respectively.




Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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