H4	.	Sunday,	January	4, 1981	THE WASHINGTON POST
slowest states are judged by their expected future, growth- BEA predicts the slowest 10 states will grow about $69 billion more in constant 1972 dollars than the 10 fastest growers. The 10 slow growers will account for 28 percent of the nationÛªs projected growth.</br></br>The slow group will grow more than the fast group because the slow states are bigger. Compare the total personal incomes of each group. In 1978 the slow 10 earned $432 billion compared to $173 billion for the fast 10. By the year 2000 the difference is supposed to jump to $772 billion for the. plodding tortoises versus $439 billion for the hares.</br></br>If BEA data is correct, most other northern industrial states will parallel the growth of the tortoises. The Frostbelt is not expected to grow as fast as the Sunbelt, but that is precisely because most northern states are larger, and they are growing larger still. Apparently reports of the FrostbeltÛªs imminent demise have been grossly exaggerated.</br></br>Similarly, the rise of the New South has been exaggerated. The Sunbelt is growing at a rapid rate that makes it appear to be growing more than it actually is. With two important exceptions, southern states have generally smaller total personal incomes, and consequently faster growth rates.</br></br>great gains in absolute growth as well as fast growth rates. Together they will account for 60 percent of the anticipated growth among the 10 fastest-growing states. They also rank second and third, just behind California, among the nationÛªs top 10 growers.