American’s population growth slowed during the last ten years, and this opinion piece in the Washington Post suggests that it’s not a good thing for the economy, as “a growing labor force is one factor that determines an economy’s capacity to grow.”
The Census Bureau has released new data showing that the U.S. population grew only 6.7 percent in the past decade, which is the slowest 10-year rate since the census began in 1790. Add that all living members of the baby boom generation will have turned 65 by 2030 — and that 18 percent of the nation will be at least that age, according to Pew Research Center population projections — and demographic stagnation begins to seem uncomfortably realistic.
The difficulty that arises from such as trend “may mean less economic growth and a diminished support base for a large retired cohort.”
Leave a Reply