Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area vs. Alaska Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: 2022 Population = 5,650 2022 Percent of State = 0.77% 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area with comparisons to Alaska and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing the Prince of Wales-Hyder 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, 2009-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 traces the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's annual population for the period 2009-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 14-year period, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population rose from 5,465 in 2009 to 5,650 in 2022, for a net gain of 185, or 3.39%. 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 (2009=100): 2009-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 2009 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 2009 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. The Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's overall population growth was 3.39% over 2009-2022 trailed Alaska's increase of 4.96%, and fell below the United States' increase of 8.64%. Population as a Percent of the Alaska Total: 2009-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of the Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 2009, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population totaled 0.78% of Alaska's population, while in 2022 it comprised 0.77% thereby yielding a -0.01% share-shift.
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area Population: Annual Percent Change, 2010-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 2010-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 13-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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population grew at an annual rate of 0.31% over 2010-2022. The census area recorded its highest growth in 2013 (10.32%) and posted its lowest growth in 2019 (-3.21%). In 2022, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population declined by -1.46% Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 2010-2022 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 depicts the annual percent change in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's population since 2010, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 2010s, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's annual population growth rate averaged 0.70%. It averaged -1.01% 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Alaska and the nation. As the chart reveals, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's average annual population growth recorded above Alaska's average throughout the 2010s (0.70% vs. 0.51%), and recorded under Alaska's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-1.01% vs. -0.06%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area fell below the nation during the 2010s (0.70% vs. 0.74%), and fell below the nation over 2020-2022 (-1.01% vs. 0.31%).
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