The U.S. Census Bureau released new population estimates on Monday, projecting that the country’s population has slowed to historic low growth. Meanwhile, New York will retain the title of third most populated state, just edging past Florida.
The agency projects that the country’s population will reach 317,297,938 on Jan. 1, 2014. That’s an increase of just 0.7 percent over Jan. 1, 2013. According to The Washington Post, the nation hasn’t grown that slow since the Great Depression years, from 1932 to 1937, the Brookings Institution’s William Frey said.
Although the economy is just starting to emerge from the recession, the slow growth in population began around the time of the recession in 2006, as women decided to hold off on having children. There have also been fewer immigrants coming for jobs. So, even though the economy is growing again, that isn’t reflected in demographics.
Prior to the projections’ release, it was suggested that Florida could surpass New York as the third most populated state behind California and Texas. But that didn’t happen. While Florida added 230,000 people and New York only gained 75,000, it wasn’t enough to top the Empire State.