Wisconsin population grew last year, but not as fast as Minnesota's

December 25, 2015 at 3:04AM

Wisconsin gained almost 12,000 people last year, according to new census estimates, remaining the nation's 20th most populous state.

Growing three times as fast, neighboring Minnesota gained nearly 32,500 people from July 2014 through July 2015, according to state population estimates released on Tuesday. Minnesota remains the 21st largest state, with just under 5.5 million people to Wisconsin's 5.8 million.

Illinois lost more than 22,000 residents, shrinking by 0.2 percent, but remains the nation's fifth-largest state, behind California, Texas, Florida and New York.

With a 2.3 percent annual growth rate, North Dakota was the fastest-growing state but remains the third-smallest state, with a total population just under 757,000.

Since 2010, Wisconsin's population grew by 1.5 percent, slower than Minnesota (3.5 percent) and Iowa (2.5 percent) but faster than Illinois (0.2 percent) and Michigan (0.4 percent).

Wisconsin's growth was driven by international migration and a robust birthrate.

An estimated 15,568 people left the state during the year, almost twice the number of international migrants coming in, making Wisconsin one of 19 states with overall negative net migration.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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