Population Growth Slowed in 2019. It's Changing Everything



Population growth in the U.S. slowed to the lowest rate in decades. It grew by only 0.5% or 1.5 million. It now stands at around 350 million. The growth that is occurring in the U.S. is largely new citizens from other countries.

The birth rate has slowed while the death rate has risen. Deaths have increased mostly because the population is aging. Health and medical services have also contributed somewhat.

Everyone knows that when the average age of the population rises or falls the goods and services people buy changes and the work for needed to produce changes as well. As the average age rises our society spends less on raising children but more on old people like me.

Of course it changes religion. Older people are the most religious cohort. Unless something changes, they will take a big chunk of the faith to their graves.

I don't know what will happen with our taxes and government spending. While the average age of the population keeps rising, which implies increasing support for taxes and spending on Social Security and health care for the elderly, fewer people in the working age cohort are available to pay these higher taxes. Some kind of confrontation over this is in the making.

A higher average age should bode well for church membership. But that is not happening, at least not yet.

The most uncertain thing to contemplate is a possible decrease in the U.S. population. If the dislike for immigration lives beyond Trump and the birthrate continues to decline lower population will be inevitable. This would change life in the U.S. in so many ways it is hard to fathom. I'm guessing there is a 50/50 chance it will happen.

Comments

  1. little helperJanuary 5, 2020 at 5:24 PM

    Let the old die prematurely, and open the borders. Problem solved.

    ReplyDelete
  2. little helperJanuary 5, 2020 at 6:04 PM

    PS; When I said "natural causes" that meant stopping all life supporting drugs and procedures., like for blood pressure, stroke, broken hips, etc. Just give oxycodone for pain. The open borders should provide the oxy. A two-fer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. little helperJanuary 6, 2020 at 12:16 PM

      An additional benefit would be many nursing homes would have much smaller numbers, and they could be converted to hospice.
      Senior living would also be reduced. More room. Could be converted to the homeless. What's not to like.

      Delete

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