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Things To Do | 7 ways the U.S. population is changing
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Wednesday, July 29th 2026

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The most obvious and constant change to the U.S. population is growth. But 2010 census numbers show that population growth had dropped to 9.7 percent, its lowest level since the Great Depression. The U.S. growth rate has also lagged behind world population growth over the last decade. The 2010 census put the population at 308,745,538, up from 281,421,906 in 2000. The estimated world population of nearly 6.9 billion, meanwhile, is up 12.5 percent from 2000. However, U.S. growth remains ahead of many other developed nations, particularly European countries, whose populations may actually decline between now and 2050. (Above: A street in Chicago, where population has decreased by 6.9 percent since 2000.)
Scott Olson, Getty Images
The most obvious and constant change to the U.S. population is growth. But 2010 census numbers show that population growth had dropped to 9.7 percent, its lowest level since the Great Depression. The U.S. growth rate has also lagged behind world population growth over the last decade. The 2010 census put the population at 308,745,538, up from 281,421,906 in 2000. The estimated world population of nearly 6.9 billion, meanwhile, is up 12.5 percent from 2000. However, U.S. growth remains ahead of many other developed nations, particularly European countries, whose populations may actually decline between now and 2050. (Above: A street in Chicago, where population has decreased by 6.9 percent since 2000.)

7 ways the U.S. population is changing

Chicago Tribune
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A shaky Social Security system, the DREAM Act, and a 2012 electoral map that may favor Republicans–these three political hot topics are directly linked to a U.S. population that is aging, growing from immigration, and migrating westward and southward, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau and other entities.

–Danielle Kurtzleben, U.S. News & World Report/Distributed by Tribune Media Services

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