If it feels like there are a few more people in line in the grocery stores and in sitting next to you at stoplights, it's true.  Idaho is leading the nation in population growth and shows no signs of stopping.  

The US Census Bureau released some new numbers that show the Idaho population grew by 2.2% over the last year, and that's #1 in the US. No other state added more residents during that time, percentage wise. 

Texas added the most people at 400,000 new residents to its population of 28 million, but Idaho is still the fastest-growing state in terms of percentages, adding another 37,000 residents in a population of 1.7 million.

People might be getting tired of the crowded East Coast and looking for a lower cost of living out west.  USA Today says Western States accounted for seven of ten states with the biggest population growth between July 2016 and July 2017.  Nevada, Utah, and Washington are among the top states adding population, after Idaho.

There are predictions that our population will keep growing, and that we'll add thousands of new people each year through 2025 because of the strong job market and good cost of living.  That would put our population at 1.9 million in seven years.

People are moving out of Illinois, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Mississippi.  West Virginia is another state that's lost residents over the past year.

The population growth is good for the economy, but it might make things a little more crowded on the Greenbelt in the spring.  If you get a little squeezed for space, there's always Wyoming.

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