The US Census Bureau released a map showing the decline in population in rural America. US Census BureauOn Thursday, the Census Bureau released data on population for 2020.Recent data show that rural areas have seen a decline in population over the past decade.Below is a map showing where population grew and decreased between 2010 and 2020.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.The US Census Bureau released a map Thursday showing how severe the decline in rural population has become over the past decade.From the 2010 to 2020 censuses, huge swathes of Middle America experienced a decrease in population growth.The data shows that some areas, including large parts of South Dakota and Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Missouri, and Mississippi, have seen a decline in their population over the past decade.The same result was seen in large parts of Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana as well as Illinois. The US Census Bureau reports that the country has become more urbanized over the past decade, with 86.3% of Americans living within metropolitan areas of greater than 50,000 people.This confirms the growing divide between urban and rural America, which was clearly illustrated by the 2020 elections, as Insider's Nick Lichtenberg reported and Hillary Hoffower reported in November. According to a Brookings study Joe Biden won densely populated areas that made up 71% American's gross domestic products, while Donald Trump won only 29%. Hillary Clinton had 64% of the GDP, while Trump's was 36% in 2016.Mark Muro, a Brookings senior fellow and policy-director of its metropolitan program, said that America has two "different economic worlds" and that the census confirms that the rural one is shrinking. Muro stated that this economic divide has been growing since 2000, and it has been increasing in the last decade.In a press release, the Census Bureau highlighted how population has changed in the past decade.Marc Perry, a Senior Demographer at Census Bureau, stated in a press release that "Many metro areas saw growth," especially in the south and western regions. "However, we have been seeing in our annual populations estimates that our nation is growing slower then it used to," Perry said.Continue the storyHe said, "This decline is evident on the local level where approximately 52% of the US counties saw their 2020 census population decrease from their 2010 Census populations."The majority of the 384 metropolitan areas saw their population grow. The Census Bureau reported that 312 of 384 metro areas grew in the past decade, including The Villages in Florida. This area saw the fastest growth of all metro areas, at 39%.Business Insider has the original article.
