U.S. population data puts Iowa in the middle of the pack

Iowa's population grew by less than 1 percent from 2013 to 2014, new government estimates say, continuing a years-long trend that a recent economic development study called a 'troubling issue” for the state.

The new data from the U.S. Census Bureau say that Iowa's population on July 1, 2014, was 3,107,126. That's up about half of 1 percentage point over the year before.

Iowa continues to rank 30th in the country in size, and it ranks 29th in the rate of growth from 2013 to 2014.

Illinois, meanwhile, saw a population decline, according to the Census Bureau, the first time the estimates issued since the 2010 census have shown a drop.

Illinois' population stood at 12,880,580 as of July 1, a decrease of 9,972 people, or nearly one-tenth of 1 percent.

Illinois is one of just six states that lost population between mid-2013 and mid-2014, the Census Bureau said.

The government uses the 2010 census as a starting point and then analyzes local administrative data to devise the estimates.

Notably this year, Florida passed New York to become the third-most-populous state in the U.S. California is still the leader, followed by Texas. Illinois ranks fifth.

North Dakota, which is experiencing an energy boom, grew by more than 2 percent, the highest rate of growth in the country. Nevada and Texas came after that.

Low growth has long been an issue in Iowa, but its impact on the state's economy was just recently highlighted by a study commissioned by the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress, an advisory panel made up of company CEOs.

The study, done by the Columbus, Ohio-based Battelle Memorial Institute, said that a 'troubling issue” for the state is its sluggish population growth.

'From 2000 to 2012, Iowa grew a scant 5.1 percent in population compared with 11.5 percent for the U.S.,” the report stated. 'Across all age groups, Iowa declined, but perhaps the most troubling is the nearly flat growth in population among Iowa's youngest population group, 24 and younger, which grew a meager 0.5 percent from 2001 to 2012.”

Between concerns about existing workforce shortages and sluggish population growth, a 'near‐term and longer‐term problem” exists, the report stated.

Jimmy Centers, a spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad, said in an email Tuesday that the governor 'continues to work to bring quality jobs to the state, which will attract new individuals and help keep our best and brightest here.”

He added that Branstad has embarked on a number of initiatives to improve the workforce and encourage people to live in the state, such as the Home Base Iowa initiative, which seeks to lure veterans and members of the military by offering tax and other economic incentives.

The report did say the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids/Iowa City metro areas had grew faster than the U.S. rate between 2000 and 2012. But other parts of the state, particularly rural areas, have combined to be a drag on overall statewide growth.

Estimates of growth at the county, city and metro-area levels will be released next year.