Which States Grew and Which Didn't

The U.S. Census has released new data about which states grew the fastest between July 2015 and July 2016, finding that Texas gained the most new residents in terms of numeric growth. Utah gained the most in percentage growth. The post on the U.S. Census Bureau website also notes that North Dakota fell from the top spot as fastest growing state for the last four years. "Its growth slowed from 2.3 percent in the previous year to 0.1 percent."

As for the other end of the spectrum, Marwa Eltagouri reports for the Chicago Tribune about Illinois losing more residents than any other, marking the third consecutive year for that ignominious achievement. Eltagouri writes:

Illinois is among just eight states to lose residents, putting its population at 12,801,539 people, its lowest since about 2009. Illinois' population first began to drop in 2014, when the state lost 11,961 people. That number more than doubled in 2015, with a loss of 28,497 people, and further multiplied in 2016.