Hampden County vs. Massachusetts Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Hampden County: 2022 Population = 461,041 2022 Percent of State = 6.60% Massachusetts: 2022 Population = 6,981,974 2022 Percent of U.S. = 2.09% 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 Hampden County with comparisons to Massachusetts and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Hampden County vs. Massachusetts' 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 traces Hampden County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Hampden County's population rose from 456,530 in 1969 to 461,041 in 2022, for a net gain of 4,511, or 0.99%. 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 Massachusetts' annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Massachusetts' population rose from 5,650,000 in 1969 to 6,981,974 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,331,974, or 23.57%. 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 Hampden County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Massachusetts, 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. Hampden County's overall population growth was 0.99% over 1969-2022 trailed Massachusetts' increase of 23.57%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Massachusetts Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of highlighting the population growth of Hampden County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Massachusetts' statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Massachusetts' population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Hampden County's population totaled 8.08% of Massachusetts' population, while in 2022 it totaled 6.60% thereby yielding a -1.48% share-shift.
Hampden County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Hampden 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, Hampden County's population grew at an annual rate of 0.02% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1987 (1.20%) and posted its lowest growth in 1978 (-1.22%). In 2022, Hampden County's population declined by -0.39% Hampden 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 Hampden 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, Hampden County's annual population growth rate averaged -0.28%. It averaged 0.28% throughout the 1980s, -0.02% in the 1990s, 0.16% throughout the 2000s, 0.09% during the 2010s, -0.43% 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 Hampden County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Massachusetts and the nation. As the chart reveals, Hampden County's average annual population growth recorded under Massachusetts' average throughout the 1970s (-0.28% vs. 0.17%), posted below Massachusetts' average in the 1980s (0.28% vs. 0.46%), trailed Massachusetts' average in the 1990s (-0.02% vs. 0.49%), posted below Massachusetts' average throughout the 2000s (0.16% vs. 0.31%), fell below Massachusetts' average throughout the 2010s (0.09% vs. 0.74%), and fell below Massachusetts' average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.43% vs. -0.16%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Hampden County lagged the nation throughout the 1970s (-0.28% vs. 1.10%), lagged the nation over the 1980s (0.28% vs. 0.95%), lagged the nation throughout the 1990s (-0.02% vs. 1.23%), lagged the nation during the 2000s (0.16% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation during the 2010s (0.09% vs. 0.74%), and posted below the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.43% vs. 0.31%).
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