Aleutians West Census Area vs. Alaska Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Aleutians West Census Area: 2022 Population = 5,122 2022 Percent of State = 0.70% Alaska: 2022 Population = 733,583 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.22% 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 Aleutians West Census Area with comparisons to Alaska and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing the Aleutians West Census Area vs. Alaska'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, 1988-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 tracks the Aleutians West Census Area's annual population for the period 1988-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 35-year period, the Aleutians West Census Area's population dropped from 8,542 in 1988 to 5,122 in 2022, for a net loss of -3,420, or -40.04%. 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 Alaska's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Alaska's population rose from 296,000 in 1969 to 733,583 in 2022, for a net gain of 437,583, or 147.83%. 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 (1988=100): 1988-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the Aleutians West Census Area's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Alaska, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's population in 1988 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 1988 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. The Aleutians West Census Area's overall population growth was -40.04% over 1988-2022 trailed Alaska's increase of 35.35%, and fell below the United States' increase of 36.31%. Population as a Percent of the Alaska Total: 1988-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of highlighting the population growth of the Aleutians West Census Area is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Alaska's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Alaska's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1988, the Aleutians West Census Area's population comprised 1.58% of Alaska's population, while in 2022 it totaled 0.70% thereby yielding a -0.88% share-shift.
Aleutians West Census Area Population: Annual Percent Change, 1989-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of the Aleutians West Census Area's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1989-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 34-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 Aleutians West Census Area's population contracted at an annual rate of -1.25% over 1989-2022. The census area posted its highest growth in 1989 (8.93%) and posted its lowest growth in 1994 (-28.24%). In 2022, the Aleutians West Census Area's population declined by -0.64% Aleutians West Census Area Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1989-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some census areas 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 Aleutians West Census Area's population since 1989, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1990s, the Aleutians West Census Area's annual population growth rate averaged -4.66%. It averaged 0.29% during the 2000s, -0.49% during the 2010s, -0.95% 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 Aleutians West Census Area noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Alaska and the nation. As the chart reveals, the Aleutians West Census Area's average annual population growth fell below Alaska's average in the 1990s (-4.66% vs. 1.34%), lagged Alaska's average during the 2000s (0.29% vs. 1.13%), trailed Alaska's average throughout the 2010s (-0.49% vs. 0.51%), and recorded under Alaska's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.95% vs. -0.06%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, the Aleutians West Census Area fell below the nation over the 1990s (-4.66% vs. 1.23%), trailed the nation throughout the 2000s (0.29% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation during the 2010s (-0.49% vs. 0.74%), and trailed the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.95% vs. 0.31%).
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