According to the World Journal, the U.S. Census Bureau released new population statistics on December 30, 2013, showing that the population growth rate in the United States reached an all-time low last year, nearly stagnating, with a growth of only 0.71% as of July 1, 2013, adding less than 2.3 million people.
William Frey, a senior researcher at the Brookings Institution, is very concerned about this phenomenon. He stated: “In recent years, the population growth has been extremely low, which is alarming because the sluggish economy is the main reason. Due to the lack of job opportunities in the market, the number of immigrants coming to the U.S. has decreased. Young people are thus delaying marriage and childbirth, leading to a decline in birth rates.”
New York State currently ranks third in population in the United States, following California and Texas. However, Frey predicts that if New York State's population growth remains slow next year, Florida, which is experiencing rapid growth, may surpass New York State next year.
With the slow improvement of the economy, Frey originally expected robust population growth in Florida, Arizona, and Nevada, but the actual growth rate has only been mediocre, averaging between 1.2% and 1.3%.
Although population growth is very slow, there are only two states with actual population decline: Maine and West Virginia. The fastest-growing state is North Dakota, with an increase of 3.1%, due to the booming oil industry in the state, which has created tens of thousands of job opportunities. People can easily find temporary work at McDonald's, and even receive a signing bonus of $300 right after signing a contract.