1. Population and Economic Growth

2. Measuring Population Every 10 years the government takes a census
Urban Population – people living in places with more than 2,500 inhabitants
Rural Population – people living outside of urban populations

3. Historical Growth
From 1790 to 1860 population was growing around 3 percent a year
From beginning of the Civil war to 1900 the rate dropped to 2 percent a year
From 1900 to WWII the rate fell to 1.4 percent
From WWII to now the rate has been around 1 percent

4. Regional Change
Since the 1970s the North and East have slowed in population growth
Warmer and more spacious parts of the country have increased in growth rate
The center of population has consistently shifted west

5. Center of Population

6. Questions
What effect does a growing population have on GDP and GNP? Why is it better to measure both numbers per capita?
What impact does the shifting of the center of population have on the economy?

7. Projected Trends
Baby Boomers – people born from 1946 to 1964 make up a sizable portion of the population
When baby boomers retire they will place a large burden on entitlements and the dependency ration will change

8. Population Pyramid

9. Projected Trends cont.
Race and Ethnicity – The portions of most minority groups are projected to rise, with the Hispanic population growing by the largest percent

10. Population Growth
Fertility rate – tracked by births per 1,000 women. Current rate is 1,900
Life expectancy – 78.8 years
Net immigration – just over 1,000,000 per year

11. Questions Why do we care about projecting population growth?
What can figures like fertility rate, life expectancy, and net immigration tell us about the future of our economy?