Madison County vs. Idaho Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Madison County: 2022 Population = 54,976 2022 Percent of State = 2.84% Idaho: 2022 Population = 1,939,033 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.58% 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 Madison County with comparisons to Idaho and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Madison County vs. Idaho'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 Madison County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Madison County's population rose from 13,107 in 1969 to 54,976 in 2022, for a net gain of 41,869, or 319.44%. 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 Idaho's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Idaho's population rose from 707,000 in 1969 to 1,939,033 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,232,033, or 174.26%. 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 Madison County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Idaho, 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. Madison County's overall population growth was 319.44% over 1969-2022 outpaced Idaho's increase of 174.26%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Idaho Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Madison County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Idaho's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Idaho's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Madison County's population comprised 1.85% of Idaho's population, while in 2022 it comprised 2.84% thereby yielding a +0.98% share-shift.
Madison County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Madison 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 traced 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, Madison County's population grew at an annual rate of 2.76% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1972 (9.74%) and posted its lowest growth in 1999 (-0.20%). In 2022, Madison County's population grew by 1.59% Madison 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 traces the annual percent change in Madison County's population since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Madison County's annual population growth rate averaged 4.00%. It averaged 1.97% during the 1980s, 1.51% during the 1990s, 3.14% in the 2000s, 3.31% throughout the 2010s, 2.29% 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 Madison County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Idaho and the nation. As the chart reveals, Madison County's average annual population growth recorded above Idaho's average during the 1970s (4.00% vs. 2.81%), led Idaho's average in the 1980s (1.97% vs. 0.65%), recorded under Idaho's average during the 1990s (1.51% vs. 2.52%), exceeded Idaho's average in the 2000s (3.14% vs. 2.00%), topped Idaho's average throughout the 2010s (3.31% vs. 1.52%), and trailed Idaho's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (2.29% vs. 2.36%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Madison County registered above the nation throughout the 1970s (4.00% vs. 1.10%), surpassed the nation in the 1980s (1.97% vs. 0.95%), outgained the nation in the 1990s (1.51% vs. 1.23%), topped the nation over the 2000s (3.14% vs. 0.95%), exceeded the nation during the 2010s (3.31% vs. 0.74%), and outperformed the nation over 2020-2022 (2.29% vs. 0.31%).
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