Wolf, Z. B. (2023, January 19). Why it’s so important for the US to avoid a shrinking population. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/china-population-us-what-matters/index.html

 

This article talks about the history of the United States population. The population of the United States is recored every 10 years in the census. The first official census was in 1790 and it recorded nearly 4 million people residing in the United States. The most recent census shows the countries population at over 330 million people. From 1800 to 1810 the population experienced a growth rate of 36.4%, which is the highest growth rate in United States history. Since then the population has still been growing, but at a gradually decreasing rate of growth.

I think it is crazy to see the growth rate from one particular decade being over 36%. Since our country was still a new nation then, and the idea for opportunity and westward expansion was forming I am not surprised that we haven’t seem change like that since. I wonder if the growth rate will continue to decline year after year. I believe that it will for a little bit, and unless there are extreme changes to immigration regulations, then the growth rate will start to flatten out as we reach a potential carrying capacity. At that point, unless there are major events like pandemics, wars, or serious change in litigation, I think that the country will be much more stable in terms of population growth.