Kokomo MSA vs. Indiana Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Kokomo MSA: 2022 Population = 83,574 2022 Percent of State = 0.03% Indiana: 2022 Population = 6,833,037 2022 Percent of U.S. = 2.05% 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 the Kokomo MSA with comparisons to Indiana and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing the Kokomo MSA vs. Indiana'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 the Kokomo MSA's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, the Kokomo MSA's population rose from 81,918 in 1969 to 83,574 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,656, or 2.02%. 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 Indiana's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Indiana's population rose from 5,143,000 in 1969 to 6,833,037 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,690,037, or 32.86%. 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 the Kokomo MSA's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Indiana, 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. The Kokomo MSA's overall population growth was 2.02% over 1969-2022 trailed Indiana's increase of 32.86%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Indiana Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of the Kokomo MSA is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Indiana's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Indiana's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, the Kokomo MSA's population comprised 1.59% of Indiana's population, while in 2022 it equated to 1.22% thereby yielding a -0.37% share-shift.
Kokomo MSA Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of the Kokomo MSA'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, the Kokomo MSA's population grew at an annual rate of 0.04% over 1970-2022. The Kokomo MSA recorded its highest growth in 1970 (1.75%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1987 (-1.74%). In 2022, the Kokomo MSA's population declined by -0.08% Kokomo MSA Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some msas 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 the Kokomo MSA's population since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, the Kokomo MSA's annual population growth rate averaged 0.64%. It averaged -0.78% in the 1980s, 0.49% throughout the 1990s, -0.25% in the 2000s, 0.10% throughout the 2010s, 0.03% 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 the Kokomo MSA noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Indiana and the nation. As the chart reveals, the Kokomo MSA's average annual population growth recorded above Indiana's average in the 1970s (0.64% vs. 0.63%), trailed Indiana's average throughout the 1980s (-0.78% vs. 0.09%), trailed Indiana's average in the 1990s (0.49% vs. 0.91%), lagged Indiana's average during the 2000s (-0.25% vs. 0.67%), posted below Indiana's average throughout the 2010s (0.10% vs. 0.46%), and trailed Indiana's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.03% vs. 0.35%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, the Kokomo MSA fell below the nation in the 1970s (0.64% vs. 1.10%), recorded underneath the nation during the 1980s (-0.78% vs. 0.95%), fell below the nation over the 1990s (0.49% vs. 1.23%), trailed the nation over the 2000s (-0.25% vs. 0.95%), recorded underneath the nation in the 2010s (0.10% vs. 0.74%), and fell below the nation over 2020-2022 (0.03% vs. 0.31%).
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