2010-2019 Census data shows Lagging New Mexico population growth

At the end of 2019 the US Census Bureau published population change data for each state and the nation as a whole. The data are from April 2010 to July 2019, so just under a decade. As most demographers are well-aware, the US population continues to move south and west, but the shift is uneven.

To better understand where New Mexico stacks up, check out the chart below. As you can see, neighboring Utah, Texas, and Colorado are the three fastest-growing states. Arizona is 7th-fastest growing. Even Oklahoma saw robust population growth over the past decade.

Where does New Mexico’s population growth stand? We grew just a bit slower than Kansas and a little faster than Ohio to put us in 38th place overall. It’s obviously not the weather or the sheer beauty of our State that holds us back, rather it is the bad public policy that comes out of Santa Fe and the Legislature. Can 2020 help move the needle in the right direction? We’ll see.

Click the picture below to see a larger version of the image.