Russell County vs. Virginia Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Russell County: 2022 Population = 25,448 2022 Percent of State = 0.29% Virginia: 2022 Population = 8,683,619 2022 Percent of U.S. = 2.61% 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 Russell County with comparisons to Virginia and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Russell County vs. Virginia'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 tracks Russell County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Russell County's population rose from 24,807 in 1969 to 25,448 in 2022, for a net gain of 641, or 2.58%. 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 Virginia's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Virginia's population rose from 4,614,000 in 1969 to 8,683,619 in 2022, for a net gain of 4,069,619, or 88.20%. 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 Russell County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Virginia, 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. Russell County's overall population growth was 2.58% over 1969-2022 trailed Virginia's increase of 88.20%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Virginia Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of Russell County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Virginia's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Virginia's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Russell County's population comprised 0.54% of Virginia's population, while in 2022 it comprised 0.29% thereby yielding a -0.24% share-shift.
Russell County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Russell 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, Russell County's population grew at an annual rate of 0.06% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1976 (6.01%) and recorded its lowest growth in 2000 (-2.85%). In 2022, Russell County's population declined by -0.50% Russell 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 shows the annual percent change in Russell County's population since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Russell County's annual population growth rate averaged 2.40%. It averaged -0.79% throughout the 1980s, 0.38% during the 1990s, -0.37% throughout the 2000s, -1.12% throughout the 2010s, -0.60% 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 Russell County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Virginia and the nation. As the chart reveals, Russell County's average annual population growth topped Virginia's average in the 1970s (2.40% vs. 1.44%), posted below Virginia's average during the 1980s (-0.79% vs. 1.40%), recorded under Virginia's average throughout the 1990s (0.38% vs. 1.35%), amounted to less than Virginia's average throughout the 2000s (-0.37% vs. 1.25%), posted below Virginia's average throughout the 2010s (-1.12% vs. 0.82%), and fell below Virginia's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.60% vs. 0.33%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Russell County outpaced the nation during the 1970s (2.40% vs. 1.10%), lagged the nation in the 1980s (-0.79% vs. 0.95%), lagged the nation during the 1990s (0.38% vs. 1.23%), fell under the nation during the 2000s (-0.37% vs. 0.95%), posted below the nation in the 2010s (-1.12% vs. 0.74%), and recorded underneath the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.60% vs. 0.31%).
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