Population growth and economic freedom

While Americans continue to (generally) move South and West, New Mexico sticks out as a bastion of slow population growth among its fast-growing neighbors. It is hardly surprising that the charts (population growth from the US Census and Economic Freedom from the Fraser Institute) below match up rather well.

After all, while Americans obviously like warm weather and the beauty of the American West they also need employment and don’t usually want to pay high taxes. Needless to say the list of wants can become quite long but the aforementioned are SOME of the major factors in recent population shifts.