Osceola County vs. Iowa Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Osceola County: 2022 Population = 6,036 2022 Percent of State = 0.19% Iowa: 2022 Population = 3,200,517 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.96% 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 Osceola County with comparisons to Iowa and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing Osceola County vs. Iowa'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 tracks Osceola County's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Osceola County's population dropped from 8,239 in 1969 to 6,036 in 2022, for a net loss of -2,203, or -26.74%. 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 Iowa's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Iowa's population rose from 2,805,000 in 1969 to 3,200,517 in 2022, for a net gain of 395,517, or 14.10%. 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 Osceola County's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Iowa, 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. Osceola County's overall population growth was -26.74% over 1969-2022 trailed Iowa's increase of 14.10%, and fell below the United States' increase of 65.57%. Population as a Percent of the Iowa Total: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the population growth of Osceola County is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Iowa's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Iowa's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 1969, Osceola County's population totaled 0.29% of Iowa's population, while in 2022 it equated to 0.19% thereby yielding a -0.11% share-shift.
Osceola County Population: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Osceola 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, Osceola County's population contracted at an annual rate of -0.58% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1970 (3.33%) and posted its lowest growth in 1985 (-3.75%). In 2022, Osceola County's population declined by -2.06% Osceola 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 Osceola 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, Osceola County's annual population growth rate averaged 0.30%. It averaged -1.54% throughout the 1980s, -0.29% throughout the 1990s, -0.79% in the 2000s, -0.57% in the 2010s, -0.59% 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 Osceola County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Iowa and the nation. As the chart reveals, Osceola County's average annual population growth posted below Iowa's average in the 1970s (0.30% vs. 0.39%), fell below Iowa's average during the 1980s (-1.54% vs. -0.51%), posted below Iowa's average throughout the 1990s (-0.29% vs. 0.52%), lagged Iowa's average during the 2000s (-0.79% vs. 0.39%), fell below Iowa's average in the 2010s (-0.57% vs. 0.49%), and recorded under Iowa's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.59% vs. 0.17%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, Osceola County recorded underneath the nation during the 1970s (0.30% vs. 1.10%), fell below the nation in the 1980s (-1.54% vs. 0.95%), trailed the nation over the 1990s (-0.29% vs. 1.23%), fell under the nation over the 2000s (-0.79% vs. 0.95%), posted below the nation over the 2010s (-0.57% vs. 0.74%), and trailed the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.59% vs. 0.31%).
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