Appleton MSA vs. Wisconsin Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Appleton MSA: 2022 Population = 244,845 2022 Percent of State = 0.09% Wisconsin: 2022 Population = 5,892,539 2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.77% 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 Appleton MSA with comparisons to Wisconsin and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing the Appleton MSA vs. Wisconsin'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 Appleton MSA's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, the Appleton MSA's population rose from 143,488 in 1969 to 244,845 in 2022, for a net gain of 101,357, or 70.64%. 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 tracks Wisconsin's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Wisconsin's population rose from 4,378,000 in 1969 to 5,892,539 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,514,539, or 34.59%. 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 Appleton MSA's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Wisconsin, 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 Appleton MSA's overall population growth was 70.64% over 1969-2022 outpaced Wisconsin's increase of 34.59%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Wisconsin Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of the Appleton MSA is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Wisconsin's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Wisconsin's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, the Appleton MSA's population comprised 3.28% of Wisconsin's population, while in 2022 it comprised 4.16% thereby yielding a +0.88% share-shift.
Appleton MSA Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of the Appleton 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 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, the Appleton MSA's population grew at an annual rate of 1.01% over 1970-2022. The Appleton MSA recorded its highest growth in 1970 (2.66%) and posted its lowest growth in 1976 (-0.78%). In 2022, the Appleton MSA's population grew by 0.39% Appleton 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 Appleton 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 Appleton MSA's annual population growth rate averaged 0.89%. It averaged 1.01% during the 1980s, 1.42% throughout the 1990s, 1.19% in the 2000s, 0.75% throughout the 2010s, 0.39% 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 Appleton MSA noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Wisconsin and the nation. As the chart reveals, the Appleton MSA's average annual population growth registered above Wisconsin's average throughout the 1970s (0.89% vs. 0.64%), exceeded Wisconsin's average during the 1980s (1.01% vs. 0.40%), registered above Wisconsin's average throughout the 1990s (1.42% vs. 0.94%), outpaced Wisconsin's average during the 2000s (1.19% vs. 0.61%), surpassed Wisconsin's average in the 2010s (0.75% vs. 0.37%), and recorded above Wisconsin's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.39% vs. 0.07%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, the Appleton MSA recorded underneath the nation during the 1970s (0.89% vs. 1.10%), outgained the nation throughout the 1980s (1.01% vs. 0.95%), outperformed the nation during the 1990s (1.42% vs. 1.23%), outpaced the nation over the 2000s (1.19% vs. 0.95%), outperformed the nation in the 2010s (0.75% vs. 0.74%), and outpaced the nation over 2020-2022 (0.39% vs. 0.31%).
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