Alabama’s Population Shows Moderate Gain in 1997

Alabama’s Population Shows Moderate Gain in 1997

  • July 29th, 2019

Alabama’s Population Shows Moderate Gain in 1997


Alabama added 31,976 new residents between July 1, 1996 and July 1, 1997, according to estimates released by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Alabama’s 1997 population of 4,319,154 was 0.7 percent higher than the 1996 total of 4,287,178. An estimated 13,212 more people moved into the state than moved out during the year. From the 1990 census through July 1, 1997, the state’s population increase totaled 278,765, a 6.9 percent gain that ranks the state twenty-third in population growth for the 1990s. The 1997 round of population estimates resulted in upward revisions of all of Alabama’s annual estimates since the 1990 census.

Overall, the nation’s population rose 0.9 percent from 1996 to 1997 to total 267,636,061. Led by Nevada’s population gain of 4.8 percent and Arizona’s 2.7 percent increase, the West was the fastest growing region in the country with an average gain of 1.6 percent. California showed the largest numerical increase of any state with 410,000 new residents, representing a 1.3 percent increase. At 1.3 percent, the South ranked second in overall regional growth. Georgia led the South with a population increase of 2.1 percent. Texas posted a 1.8 percent increase, while Florida and North Carolina each gained 1.6 percent. Population growth in the nation’s Midwest region averaged 0.5 percent, while the Northeast saw just a 0.2 percent gain. Pennsylvania’s population was down 20,000, the largest numerical loss of any state.