by Daniel Costello

Several of the fastest-growing states in the South and West that once boasted the country's highest population growth rates are feeling the downward effects of the current recession more than the rest of the country, the Census Bureau reported Wednesday.

Other states in the Sun Belt including Florida and Nevada fared even more poorly, and are seeing more people leave than move in — a reversal from as recently as a year ago.

 

According to the Washignton Post:


The state population numbers released Wednesday reflect how the weak economy and the housing bust have forced many people to stay put instead of moving. Growth rates were down significantly in several states, including Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Conversely, states such as California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York showed a continued upswing after years in decline in the first half of the decade.

Texas had the biggest population leap, with 478,000 more people living there in the year that ended July 1. Its growth rate of 2 percent last year was marginally lower than Wyoming and Utah, which had the top growth rates in the country but are much smaller states.