New Population Data

The US Census Bureau released their annual population estimates yesterday. Pennsylvania continues to lag behind:

• Pennsylvania's population grew by 0.3% last year, slower than the national growth (0.9%) and ranking 43rd among states' in growth from July 2004 to July 2005.
• Since 2000, Pennsylvania ranks 46th in population growth.
• Pennsylvania ranks 48th in population growth since 1991 - outpacing only West Virginia and North Dakota.

Despite Governor Rendell's taking credit for job growth in Pennsylvania based on the BLS employment report for November, Pennsylvania's job growth is slower than the nation as a whole (see a related analysis by the Allegheny Institute).

• Pennsylvania's job growth in the year to date is 1.3%, slightly lower than the 1.4% growth in jobs nationally - (1.6% if you exclude Louisiana and Mississippi from the analysis).
• Through the November estimates, Pennsylvania ranks 38th in job growth since 2002 and 43rd since 1991 - which includes having temporarily surpassed Louisiana and Mississippi in job growth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.