Dillon County vs. South Carolina Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Dillon County: 2022 Population = 27,738 2022 Percent of State = 0.53% South Carolina: 2022 Population = 5,282,634 2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.59% Attracting and retaining people to live, work, raise a family, and retire underlies the economic vitality of any region. Population growth is both a cause--and a consequence--of economic growth. Patterns of population growth and change reflect differences among regions to attract and retain people both as producers and consumers in their economy. The following graphs offer a broad overview of trends in the pattern of population growth and change of Dillon County with comparisons to South Carolina and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Dillon County vs. South Carolina's population growth over 1969-2022. The data used are those compiled by the Regional Income and Product Divisions of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Population, 1969-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 traces Dillon County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Dillon County's population dropped from 29,394 in 1969 to 27,738 in 2022, for a net loss of -1,656, or -5.63%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population, 1969-2022 Figure 2. Figure 2 traces South Carolina's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, South Carolina's population rose from 2,570,000 in 1969 to 5,282,634 in 2022, for a net gain of 2,712,634, or 105.55%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 shows Dillon County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with South Carolina, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's population in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. Dillon County's overall population growth was -5.63% over 1969-2022 trailed South Carolina's increase of 105.55%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the South Carolina Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the population growth of Dillon County is to compare its individual percentage contributions to South Carolina's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than South Carolina's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Dillon County's population comprised 1.14% of South Carolina's population, while in 2022 it comprised 0.53% thereby yielding a -0.62% share-shift.
Dillon County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Dillon County's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also illustrated on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average. On average, Dillon County's population contracted at an annual rate of -0.10% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1973 (2.20%) and posted its lowest growth in 2016 (-2.11%). In 2022, Dillon County's population declined by -0.87% Dillon County Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again shows the annual percent change in Dillon County's population since 1970, but this time they are displayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Dillon County's annual population growth rate averaged 0.50%. It averaged -0.41% throughout the 1980s, 0.36% throughout the 1990s, 0.36% throughout the 2000s, -1.11% in the 2010s, -0.85% thus far this decade (2020-2022). Population Growth: Average Annual Percent Change by Decade Figure 7. Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Dillon County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for South Carolina and the nation. As the chart reveals, Dillon County's average annual population growth fell below South Carolina's average during the 1970s (0.50% vs. 1.85%), lagged South Carolina's average in the 1980s (-0.41% vs. 1.14%), posted below South Carolina's average in the 1990s (0.36% vs. 1.41%), amounted to less than South Carolina's average during the 2000s (0.36% vs. 1.45%), amounted to less than South Carolina's average during the 2010s (-1.11% vs. 1.02%), and lagged South Carolina's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.85% vs. 1.33%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Dillon County fell under the nation over the 1970s (0.50% vs. 1.10%), posted below the nation throughout the 1980s (-0.41% vs. 0.95%), posted below the nation over the 1990s (0.36% vs. 1.23%), fell below the nation over the 2000s (0.36% vs. 0.95%), fell below the nation throughout the 2010s (-1.11% vs. 0.74%), and posted below the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.85% vs. 0.31%).
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