Huron County vs. Ohio Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Huron County: 2022 Population = 58,218 2022 Percent of State = 0.50% Ohio: 2022 Population = 11,756,058 2022 Percent of U.S. = 3.53% 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 Huron County with comparisons to Ohio and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Huron County vs. Ohio'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 traces Huron County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Huron County's population rose from 49,457 in 1969 to 58,218 in 2022, for a net gain of 8,761, or 17.71%. 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 traces Ohio's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Ohio's population rose from 10,563,000 in 1969 to 11,756,058 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,193,058, or 11.29%. 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 Huron County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Ohio, 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. Huron County's overall population growth was 17.71% over 1969-2022 outpaced Ohio's increase of 11.29%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Ohio Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Huron County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Ohio's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Ohio's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Huron County's population totaled 0.47% of Ohio's population, while in 2022 it comprised 0.50% thereby yielding a +0.03% share-shift.
Huron County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Huron 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 illustrated 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, Huron County's population grew at an annual rate of 0.31% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1975 (2.43%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1982 (-0.64%). In 2022, Huron County's population declined by -0.36% Huron 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 shows the annual percent change in Huron 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, Huron County's annual population growth rate averaged 0.99%. It averaged 0.27% in the 1980s, 0.56% throughout the 1990s, 0.08% throughout the 2000s, -0.18% throughout the 2010s, -0.28% 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 Huron County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Ohio and the nation. As the chart reveals, Huron County's average annual population growth outgained Ohio's average throughout the 1970s (0.99% vs. 0.22%), outpaced Ohio's average in the 1980s (0.27% vs. 0.03%), outpaced Ohio's average throughout the 1990s (0.56% vs. 0.46%), lagged Ohio's average throughout the 2000s (0.08% vs. 0.17%), lagged Ohio's average throughout the 2010s (-0.18% vs. 0.22%), and posted below Ohio's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.28% vs. -0.09%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Huron County posted below the nation throughout the 1970s (0.99% vs. 1.10%), fell below the nation during the 1980s (0.27% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation over the 1990s (0.56% vs. 1.23%), trailed the nation over the 2000s (0.08% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation throughout the 2010s (-0.18% vs. 0.74%), and lagged the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.28% vs. 0.31%).
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