Newport County vs. Rhode Island Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Newport County: 2022 Population = 84,481 2022 Percent of State = 7.72% Rhode Island: 2022 Population = 1,093,734 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.33% 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 Newport County with comparisons to Rhode Island and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Newport County vs. Rhode Island'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 Newport County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Newport County's population dropped from 92,091 in 1969 to 84,481 in 2022, for a net loss of -7,610, or -8.26%. 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 Rhode Island's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Rhode Island's population rose from 932,000 in 1969 to 1,093,734 in 2022, for a net gain of 161,734, or 17.35%. 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 Newport County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Rhode Island, 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. Newport County's overall population growth was -8.26% over 1969-2022 trailed Rhode Island's increase of 17.35%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Rhode Island Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of Newport County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Rhode Island's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Rhode Island's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Newport County's population totaled 9.88% of Rhode Island's population, while in 2022 it equated to 7.72% thereby yielding a -2.16% share-shift.
Newport County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Newport County'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, Newport County's population contracted at an annual rate of -0.12% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1976 (3.24%) and posted its lowest growth in 1974 (-18.53%). In 2022, Newport County's population declined by -1.38% Newport County Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again depicts the annual percent change in Newport County'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, Newport County's annual population growth rate averaged -0.93%. It averaged 0.50% during the 1980s, -0.16% during the 1990s, -0.22% during the 2000s, 0.34% in the 2010s, -0.51% 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 Newport County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Rhode Island and the nation. As the chart reveals, Newport County's average annual population growth lagged Rhode Island's average in the 1970s (-0.93% vs. 0.27%), exceeded Rhode Island's average in the 1980s (0.50% vs. 0.45%), fell below Rhode Island's average during the 1990s (-0.16% vs. 0.39%), trailed Rhode Island's average during the 2000s (-0.22% vs. 0.13%), recorded under Rhode Island's average during the 2010s (0.34% vs. 0.38%), and trailed Rhode Island's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.51% vs. -0.02%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Newport County posted below the nation throughout the 1970s (-0.93% vs. 1.10%), lagged the nation in the 1980s (0.50% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation in the 1990s (-0.16% vs. 1.23%), lagged the nation in the 2000s (-0.22% vs. 0.95%), lagged the nation throughout the 2010s (0.34% vs. 0.74%), and posted below the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.51% vs. 0.31%).
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