Which Places Are Growing? Seven Trends from 2010 Census Mandated
by the U.S. Constitution and administered every 10 years, the
U.S. Census is used to determine apportionment of federal funds
to local communities, as well as the distribution of state seats
in the House of Representatives. The data provided in the
government’s report, released again March 2011, provides ample
opportunities for journalists to identify and explore local
trends. A 2011 report from the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government’s Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and Taubman
Center for State and Local Government, “Which Places Are
Growing? Seven Notable Trends from 2010 Census Data” (PDF),
examines trends within the income and population data. The
report’s findings include: - Counties with higher income as of
2000 experienced higher population growth. - Counties with
higher average January temperatures experienced higher
population growth than those with lower temperatures. -
Population growth was greater in counties close to a coas