Uinta County vs. Wyoming Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Uinta County: 2022 Population = 20,727 2022 Percent of State = 3.56% Wyoming: 2022 Population = 581,629 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.17% 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 Uinta County with comparisons to Wyoming and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Uinta County vs. Wyoming'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 Uinta County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Uinta County's population rose from 7,102 in 1969 to 20,727 in 2022, for a net gain of 13,625, or 191.85%. 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 Wyoming's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Wyoming's population rose from 329,000 in 1969 to 581,629 in 2022, for a net gain of 252,629, or 76.79%. 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 Uinta County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Wyoming, 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. Uinta County's overall population growth was 191.85% over 1969-2022 outpaced Wyoming's increase of 76.79%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 65.56%. Population as a Percent of the Wyoming Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Uinta County is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Wyoming's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Wyoming's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Uinta County's population totaled 2.16% of Wyoming's population, while in 2022 it equated to 3.56% thereby yielding a +1.40% share-shift.
Uinta County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Uinta 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, Uinta County's population grew at an annual rate of 2.20% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1975 (25.17%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1987 (-6.71%). In 2022, Uinta County's population grew by 0.22% Uinta 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 Uinta 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, Uinta County's annual population growth rate averaged 5.45%. It averaged 5.43% throughout the 1980s, 0.36% throughout the 1990s, 0.57% during the 2000s, -0.32% throughout the 2010s, 0.54% 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 Uinta County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Wyoming and the nation. As the chart reveals, Uinta County's average annual population growth registered above Wyoming's average throughout the 1970s (5.45% vs. 3.23%), topped Wyoming's average during the 1980s (5.43% vs. 0.18%), posted below Wyoming's average throughout the 1990s (0.36% vs. 0.71%), trailed Wyoming's average in the 2000s (0.57% vs. 1.31%), posted below Wyoming's average in the 2010s (-0.32% vs. 0.28%), and topped Wyoming's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.54% vs. 0.36%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Uinta County topped the nation in the 1970s (5.45% vs. 1.10%), outgained the nation in the 1980s (5.43% vs. 0.95%), posted below the nation over the 1990s (0.36% vs. 1.23%), fell under the nation in the 2000s (0.57% vs. 0.95%), recorded underneath the nation in the 2010s (-0.32% vs. 0.74%), and surpassed the nation over 2020-2022 (0.54% vs. 0.31%).
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