Idaho’s population grows to nearly 1.7 million

Idaho’s population grew by 1.2 percent between mid-2014 and mid-2015, the 12th strongest increase among the states and four-tenths of a percentage point ahead of the national growth rate.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau the state’s population was 1,654,930 as of July 1, 2015, an estimated increase of more than 20,000, but it was still down slightly from 2014’s 1.4 percent increase of 22,000.

Fueled by the oil boom, North Dakota continued its status as the fastest-growing state in the nation with a 2.3 percent increase in population, followed by Colorado, District of Columbia, Nevada, Florida, Texas and Utah. Seven states – Illinois, West Virginia, Connecticut, Mississippi, Maine, Vermont and New Mexico – lost population.

The United States as a whole saw its population increase by .79 percent over the period to 321.4 million.

Idaho’s population growth can be attributed to a high birth rate and domestic migration, which accounted for 75 percent of the state’s population growth. Idaho ranked 15th in the country for in-migration as more than 9,000 people moved from other states and countries between mid-2014 and mid-2015. The state’s birth rate is 13.8 births per thousand women, the ninth highest in the county.

United Van Lines’ 39th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks its customers’ state-to-state migration patterns over the past year, ranked Idaho ranked fourth on its list of top moving destinations of 2015. In 2015, more residents were moving into Idaho than out of Idaho with 61 percent of moves being inbound.

According to the study, the top five inbound states of 2015 were: Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Idaho and North Carolina. The top five outbound states were: New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Connecticut and Ohio.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Idaho’s population grows to nearly 1.7 million."