Does Slow Growth In Economy Equal Decease In Population?

DETROIT (WWJ) - The U.S. population is growing at the slowest rate since the 1930s. WWJ's Rob Sanford says the slowdown is not just a "Michigan thing".

For two consecutive years since 2009, the year the recession ended, the population has grown just 0-point-7 percent a year, down from annual increases around 1% in previous years.

The country gained 2-point-2 million people from 2010 to 2011 - fewer than the 2.8 million added a decade earlier.

Thomas Madrecki, spokesman for Smart Growth America, a coalition of environmentalists, planners and others working to slow sprawl, says plans still need to be made to accommodate a growing population.

Demographers say the slow growth is an offshoot related to a lack luster economy.