‘Natural decrease’ not seen in McLean County
Census Bureau reports most U.S. counties saw such decrease
BY JAMES C. FALCON
James@nordaknorth.com
McLean County was among a handful of counties in North Dakota to not see a natural decrease in their population between 2020 to 2021. According to a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau late last month, more than 73 percent of U.S. counties experienced a natural decrease in 2021. Natural decrease, the report stated, occurs when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given time period. In 2021, fewer births, an aging population and increased mortality – intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic – contributed to a rise in natural decrease, the report noted. In addition to this, migration was also responsible for population changes, both positive and negative. In all, North Dakota lost an estimated 4,014 people, either through death or migration, as the population dipped from 778,962 to 774,948 between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021. “The patterns we’ve observed in domestic migration shifted in 2021,” Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, stated in the report.
