Clarke County vs. Alabama Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction ![]() Clarke County: 2022 Population = 22,574 2022 Percent of State = 0.44% Alabama: 2022 Population = 5,073,903 2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.52% 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 Clarke County with comparisons to Alabama and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Clarke County vs. Alabama'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 Clarke County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Clarke County's population dropped from 28,083 in 1969 to 22,574 in 2022, for a net loss of -5,509, or -19.62%. 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 tracks Alabama's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Alabama's population rose from 3,440,000 in 1969 to 5,073,903 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,633,903, or 47.50%. 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 Clarke County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Alabama, 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. Clarke County's overall population growth was -19.62% over 1969-2022 trailed Alabama's increase of 47.50%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.56%. Population as a Percent of the Alabama Total: 1969-2022 ![]() Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Clarke County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Alabama's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Alabama's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Clarke County's population totaled 0.82% of Alabama's population, while in 2022 it comprised 0.44% thereby yielding a -0.37% share-shift.
Clarke County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 ![]() Figure 5. Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of Clarke County'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, Clarke County's population contracted at an annual rate of -0.40% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1975 (1.78%) and posted its lowest growth in 1970 (-5.51%). In 2022, Clarke County's population declined by -0.73% Clarke County Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 ![]() Figure 6. Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again traces the annual percent change in Clarke County'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, Clarke County's annual population growth rate averaged -0.13%. It averaged -0.17% throughout the 1980s, 0.28% throughout the 1990s, -0.69% during the 2000s, -1.06% in the 2010s, -1.18% 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 Clarke County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Alabama and the nation. As the chart reveals, Clarke County's average annual population growth fell below Alabama's average during the 1970s (-0.13% vs. 1.18%), posted below Alabama's average in the 1980s (-0.17% vs. 0.41%), trailed Alabama's average in the 1990s (0.28% vs. 0.95%), lagged Alabama's average in the 2000s (-0.69% vs. 0.72%), recorded under Alabama's average in the 2010s (-1.06% vs. 0.50%), and trailed Alabama's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-1.18% vs. 0.47%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Clarke County lagged the nation in the 1970s (-0.13% vs. 1.10%), posted below the nation throughout the 1980s (-0.17% vs. 0.95%), fell under the nation during the 1990s (0.28% vs. 1.23%), trailed the nation over the 2000s (-0.69% vs. 0.95%), fell below the nation in the 2010s (-1.06% vs. 0.74%), and lagged the nation over 2020-2022 (-1.18% vs. 0.31%).
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