Allen Parish vs. Louisiana Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Allen Parish: 2022 Population = 22,320 2022 Percent of State = 0.49% Louisiana: 2022 Population = 4,590,241 2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.38% 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 Allen Parish with comparisons to Louisiana and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Allen Parish vs. Louisiana'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, 1969-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 traces Allen Parish's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Allen Parish's population rose from 20,681 in 1969 to 22,320 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,639, or 7.93%. 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 Louisiana's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Louisiana's population rose from 3,619,000 in 1969 to 4,590,241 in 2022, for a net gain of 971,241, or 26.84%. 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 (1969=100): 1969-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 shows Allen Parish's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Louisiana, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's population in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. Allen Parish's overall population growth was 7.93% over 1969-2022 trailed Louisiana's increase of 26.84%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Louisiana Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Allen Parish is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Louisiana's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Louisiana's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Allen Parish's population totaled 0.57% of Louisiana's population, while in 2022 it equated to 0.49% thereby yielding a -0.09% share-shift.
Allen Parish Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of Allen Parish's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-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, Allen Parish's population grew at an annual rate of 0.16% over 1970-2022. The parish recorded its highest growth in 1987 (4.31%) and posted its lowest growth in 1988 (-6.28%). In 2022, Allen Parish's population declined by -1.26% Allen Parish Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some parishes 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 Allen Parish's population since 1970, but this time they are displayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Allen Parish's annual population growth rate averaged 0.23%. It averaged 0.14% throughout the 1980s, 1.73% during the 1990s, 0.20% during the 2000s, -1.13% throughout the 2010s, -1.13% 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 Allen Parish noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Louisiana and the nation. As the chart reveals, Allen Parish's average annual population growth recorded under Louisiana's average in the 1970s (0.23% vs. 1.35%), recorded under Louisiana's average throughout the 1980s (0.14% vs. 0.28%), outgained Louisiana's average in the 1990s (1.73% vs. 0.48%), led Louisiana's average during the 2000s (0.20% vs. 0.09%), posted below Louisiana's average in the 2010s (-1.13% vs. 0.38%), and lagged Louisiana's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-1.13% vs. -0.53%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Allen Parish recorded underneath the nation in the 1970s (0.23% vs. 1.10%), lagged the nation throughout the 1980s (0.14% vs. 0.95%), recorded above the nation during the 1990s (1.73% vs. 1.23%), posted below the nation over the 2000s (0.20% vs. 0.95%), fell below the nation during the 2010s (-1.13% vs. 0.74%), and recorded underneath the nation over 2020-2022 (-1.13% vs. 0.31%).
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