Lamoille County vs. Vermont Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Lamoille County: 2022 Population = 26,090 2022 Percent of State = 4.03% Vermont: 2022 Population = 647,064 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.19% 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 Lamoille County with comparisons to Vermont and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Lamoille County vs. Vermont'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 Lamoille County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Lamoille County's population rose from 13,040 in 1969 to 26,090 in 2022, for a net gain of 13,050, or 100.08%. 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 Vermont's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Vermont's population rose from 437,000 in 1969 to 647,064 in 2022, for a net gain of 210,064, or 48.07%. 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 Lamoille County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Vermont, 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. Lamoille County's overall population growth was 100.08% over 1969-2022 outpaced Vermont's increase of 48.07%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Vermont Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Lamoille County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Vermont's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Vermont's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Lamoille County's population comprised 2.98% of Vermont's population, while in 2022 it totaled 4.03% thereby yielding a +1.05% share-shift.
Lamoille County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Lamoille 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 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, Lamoille County's population grew at an annual rate of 1.32% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1973 (7.09%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1980 (-0.63%). In 2022, Lamoille County's population declined by -0.22% Lamoille 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 Lamoille 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, Lamoille County's annual population growth rate averaged 2.64%. It averaged 1.42% in the 1980s, 1.60% throughout the 1990s, 0.60% throughout the 2000s, 0.71% throughout the 2010s, 0.17% 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 Lamoille County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Vermont and the nation. As the chart reveals, Lamoille County's average annual population growth outpaced Vermont's average during the 1970s (2.64% vs. 1.47%), outgained Vermont's average during the 1980s (1.42% vs. 0.98%), surpassed Vermont's average during the 1990s (1.60% vs. 0.81%), outperformed Vermont's average throughout the 2000s (0.60% vs. 0.33%), surpassed Vermont's average throughout the 2010s (0.71% vs. 0.27%), and fell below Vermont's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.17% vs. 0.27%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Lamoille County outgained the nation throughout the 1970s (2.64% vs. 1.10%), surpassed the nation during the 1980s (1.42% vs. 0.95%), outpaced the nation during the 1990s (1.60% vs. 1.23%), posted below the nation during the 2000s (0.60% vs. 0.95%), trailed the nation over the 2010s (0.71% vs. 0.74%), and fell under the nation over 2020-2022 (0.17% vs. 0.31%).
| Analysis Options Menu |