Oregon drops out of top 10 for growth

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – New census numbers show that slower population growth pushed Oregon out of the top 10 fastest growing states last year.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Oregon gained just over 44,000 residents over 12 months ending in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a 1.1 percent increase that brings the state’s population to 4.19 million.

It’s now the 11th fastest-growing state in the U.S. on a percentage basis, nearly tied with No. 10 South Carolina and No. 12 Delaware, each that also saw its population grow by about 1.1 percent.

The fastest-growing states were Nevada (2.1 percent increase), Idaho (2.1 percent) and Utah (1.9 percent). Nine states lost population, with West Virginia shrinking the fastest. That state lost 0.6 percent of its population last year.