Job growth exceeds growth in the working-age population across the Northeast and the Midwest: Job growth and working-age population growth in the Northeast, Midwest, and West, 1977–2019
Midwest
| Cumulative population growth | Cumulative job growth | |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 561,002 | 835,704 |
| 1978 | 1,081,584 | 1,813,172 |
| 1979 | 1,521,166 | 2,393,300 |
| 1980 | 1,898,665 | 1,875,964 |
| 1981 | 2,170,500 | 1,644,785 |
| 1982 | 2,287,085 | 968,459 |
| 1983 | 2,349,835 | 1,098,890 |
| 1984 | 2,523,334 | 2,168,187 |
| 1985 | 2,680,416 | 2,774,166 |
| 1986 | 2,970,750 | 3,305,687 |
| 1987 | 3,329,916 | 4,135,027 |
| 1988 | 3,652,667 | 4,896,430 |
| 1989 | 3,844,001 | 5,583,191 |
| 1990 | 3,470,007 | 6,142,720 |
| 1991 | 3,889,290 | 6,112,862 |
| 1992 | 4,289,818 | 6,349,528 |
| 1993 | 4,733,427 | 6,963,787 |
| 1994 | 5,122,040 | 7,960,062 |
| 1995 | 5,534,234 | 8,921,049 |
| 1996 | 5,958,930 | 9,536,491 |
| 1997 | 6,282,790 | 10,163,573 |
| 1998 | 6,579,400 | 10,863,329 |
| 1999 | 6,897,678 | 11,413,574 |
| 2000 | 7,207,812 | 12,104,673 |
| 2001 | 7,558,560 | 11,826,122 |
| 2002 | 7,890,482 | 11,462,053 |
| 2003 | 8,205,664 | 11,411,266 |
| 2004 | 8,499,267 | 11,784,466 |
| 2005 | 8,821,137 | 12,215,113 |
| 2006 | 9,178,117 | 12,606,555 |
| 2007 | 9,507,140 | 13,086,421 |
| 2008 | 9,800,189 | 12,840,347 |
| 2009 | 10,070,862 | 11,435,412 |
| 2010 | 10,295,249 | 11,247,783 |
| 2011 | 10,558,826 | 11,897,743 |
| 2012 | 10,830,835 | 12,349,477 |
| 2013 | 11,102,890 | 12,848,484 |
| 2014 | 11,355,746 | 13,408,073 |
| 2015 | 11,553,299 | 13,986,591 |
| 2016 | 11,760,714 | 14,349,753 |
| 2017 | 12,256,532 | 14,626,495 |
| 2018 | 12,459,014 | 15,084,556 |
| 2019 | 12,656,723 | 15,536,381 |
Northeast
| Cumulative population growth | Cumulative job growth | |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 276,082 | 422,204 |
| 1978 | 529,499 | 1,148,365 |
| 1979 | 788,751 | 1,760,831 |
| 1980 | 1,012,084 | 1,912,979 |
| 1981 | 1,317,416 | 2,008,549 |
| 1982 | 1,557,666 | 1,914,197 |
| 1983 | 1,811,251 | 2,162,643 |
| 1984 | 2,063,417 | 3,114,721 |
| 1985 | 2,243,583 | 3,794,339 |
| 1986 | 2,485,333 | 4,418,142 |
| 1987 | 2,737,417 | 4,881,080 |
| 1988 | 2,933,666 | 5,601,253 |
| 1989 | 3,004,751 | 5,786,778 |
| 1990 | 3,312,218 | 5,644,832 |
| 1991 | 3,406,538 | 4,854,629 |
| 1992 | 3,454,512 | 4,824,665 |
| 1993 | 3,581,985 | 5,035,361 |
| 1994 | 3,694,873 | 5,264,244 |
| 1995 | 3,837,681 | 5,567,799 |
| 1996 | 4,035,820 | 5,891,059 |
| 1997 | 4,237,876 | 6,356,642 |
| 1998 | 4,467,515 | 6,882,609 |
| 1999 | 4,712,572 | 7,474,755 |
| 2000 | 4,931,019 | 8,280,281 |
| 2001 | 5,202,122 | 8,359,551 |
| 2002 | 5,478,548 | 8,201,931 |
| 2003 | 5,734,418 | 8,237,511 |
| 2004 | 5,955,742 | 8,645,927 |
| 2005 | 6,180,024 | 9,062,673 |
| 2006 | 6,436,047 | 9,480,184 |
| 2007 | 6,691,971 | 10,108,142 |
| 2008 | 6,954,025 | 10,235,631 |
| 2009 | 7,217,799 | 9,476,141 |
| 2010 | 7,525,380 | 9,440,562 |
| 2011 | 7,831,076 | 9,995,304 |
| 2012 | 8,079,448 | 10,346,035 |
| 2013 | 8,285,356 | 10,831,335 |
| 2014 | 8,463,328 | 11,379,946 |
| 2015 | 8,580,227 | 12,031,171 |
| 2016 | 8,678,966 | 12,482,870 |
| 2017 | 9,689,991 | 12,833,107 |
| 2018 | 9,876,022 | 13,422,552 |
| 2019 | 10,017,315 | 13,972,918 |
West
| Cumulative population growth | Cumulative job growth | |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 904,332 | 908,181 |
| 1978 | 1,875,417 | 2,197,865 |
| 1979 | 2,842,750 | 3,341,778 |
| 1980 | 3,774,998 | 3,851,547 |
| 1981 | 4,498,916 | 4,150,635 |
| 1982 | 5,164,500 | 4,068,510 |
| 1983 | 5,763,666 | 4,616,154 |
| 1984 | 6,458,165 | 5,701,710 |
| 1985 | 7,168,249 | 6,523,394 |
| 1986 | 7,874,917 | 7,168,611 |
| 1987 | 8,598,584 | 8,116,105 |
| 1988 | 9,315,082 | 9,352,345 |
| 1989 | 10,056,333 | 10,155,136 |
| 1990 | 11,738,841 | 10,982,692 |
| 1991 | 12,372,253 | 11,120,262 |
| 1992 | 13,150,428 | 10,955,723 |
| 1993 | 13,809,853 | 11,370,365 |
| 1994 | 14,435,776 | 12,239,075 |
| 1995 | 15,065,619 | 13,114,803 |
| 1996 | 15,762,044 | 14,099,468 |
| 1997 | 16,622,385 | 14,982,975 |
| 1998 | 17,484,563 | 16,238,145 |
| 1999 | 18,316,568 | 17,023,722 |
| 2000 | 19,086,338 | 17,935,134 |
| 2001 | 19,932,891 | 18,155,524 |
| 2002 | 20,725,595 | 18,177,327 |
| 2003 | 21,457,733 | 18,521,956 |
| 2004 | 22,216,178 | 19,364,181 |
| 2005 | 23,008,526 | 20,402,080 |
| 2006 | 23,862,658 | 21,456,232 |
| 2007 | 24,653,887 | 22,459,940 |
| 2008 | 25,446,337 | 22,197,066 |
| 2009 | 26,188,500 | 20,588,602 |
| 2010 | 27,046,378 | 20,185,290 |
| 2011 | 27,788,208 | 20,827,484 |
| 2012 | 28,498,237 | 21,842,868 |
| 2013 | 29,186,275 | 22,938,023 |
| 2014 | 29,923,226 | 24,125,789 |
| 2015 | 30,708,957 | 25,375,517 |
| 2016 | 31,520,160 | 26,378,385 |
| 2017 | 32,115,153 | 27,283,694 |
| 2018 | 32,725,780 | 28,420,408 |
| 2019 | 33,272,323 | 29,493,992 |
Notes: Population growth refers to growth of the working-age population ages 16 and older. The composition of each region follows the census definitions.
Population growth refers to growth of the working-age population ages 16 and older. The composition of each region follows the census definitions. The South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Northeast includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The West includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Sources: Population growth based on EPI analysis of population data from the state-level “Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population, annual averages” from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data on job growth based on analysis of Regional Economic Information System data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce.