Ward County vs. Texas Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Ward County: 2022 Population = 10,964 2022 Percent of State = 0.04% Texas: 2022 Population = 30,029,572 2022 Percent of U.S. = 9.01% 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 Ward County with comparisons to Texas and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Ward County vs. Texas' 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 Ward County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Ward County's population dropped from 12,710 in 1969 to 10,964 in 2022, for a net loss of -1,746, or -13.74%. 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 Texas' annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Texas' population rose from 11,045,000 in 1969 to 30,029,572 in 2022, for a net gain of 18,984,572, or 171.88%. 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 Ward County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Texas, 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. Ward County's overall population growth was -13.74% over 1969-2022 trailed Texas' increase of 171.88%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Texas Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of highlighting the population growth of Ward County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Texas' statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Texas' population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Ward County's population comprised 0.12% of Texas' population, while in 2022 it equated to 0.04% thereby yielding a -0.08% share-shift.
Ward County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Ward 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, Ward County's population contracted at an annual rate of -0.24% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1982 (9.95%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1987 (-6.21%). In 2022, Ward County's population declined by -1.32% Ward 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 illustrates the annual percent change in Ward 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, Ward County's annual population growth rate averaged 0.35%. It averaged 0.47% in the 1980s, -1.91% during the 1990s, -0.40% during the 2000s, 0.79% during the 2010s, -1.81% 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 Ward County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Texas and the nation. As the chart reveals, Ward County's average annual population growth recorded under Texas' average in the 1970s (0.35% vs. 2.32%), trailed Texas' average in the 1980s (0.47% vs. 1.93%), recorded under Texas' average during the 1990s (-1.91% vs. 2.04%), fell below Texas' average during the 2000s (-0.40% vs. 1.89%), recorded under Texas' average in the 2010s (0.79% vs. 1.53%), and fell below Texas' average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-1.81% vs. 1.34%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Ward County recorded underneath the nation throughout the 1970s (0.35% vs. 1.10%), fell under the nation in the 1980s (0.47% vs. 0.95%), recorded underneath the nation during the 1990s (-1.91% vs. 1.23%), recorded underneath the nation during the 2000s (-0.40% vs. 0.95%), topped the nation throughout the 2010s (0.79% vs. 0.74%), and posted below the nation over 2020-2022 (-1.81% vs. 0.31%).
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