[darksaga]

I've actually found most of the growth is in rural communities, not large urban areas. In the 2010 census, you saw low increases, or even decreases in these areas, while more rural areas gained large numbers.

For instance, Cook County in Illinois (where Chicago is located) saw a 3% drop in its population from 2000-2010. By contrast, Cass County in North Dakota (where Fargo is located) saw a 21% population increase from 2000-2010.

(source was 2010 census - http://www.usatoday.com/news/census/index?refresh=1)

[datasage]

In places like ND, you can have a few people move in and see large gains in relative population.

Now, there are parts of ND that are growing, which is largely attributed to oil sands exploration. Which is attracting blue collar workers from some of the declining cities.

[oijaf888]

Isn't the latter due to the oil boom? I'm sure if you looked at growth in the San Jose area from 1990 to 2000 it would be a similar increase.