Iowa’s population is growing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but the state is not keeping pace with the rest of the nation.

According to the bureau, estimates of Iowa population for 2006 grew by 1.9 percent since 2000. The estimated population of Iowa in 2006 is 2,982,085.

David Swenson, associate scientist of economics, said Iowa’s growth is 60 percent of the national average rate, which indicates a slow growing pattern that has plagued Iowa for years.

In an economic sense, jobs bring or create families, which will increase the household size, Swenson said. If the available jobs are not allowing the household to expand, then the families must move elsewhere in search of better employment.

“Generally speaking, Iowa does not produce the fastest-growing jobs in the nation,” Swenson said. “On a comparative basis, Iowa also doesn’t heavily attract businesses that deal in intellectual property.”

Swenson characterized Iowa’s main job markets as being mostly based in agriculture, manufacturing and the financial service sector.

This leads young, skilled workers to migrate elsewhere. This is the dreaded “brain drain” that could lead to a population shift.

Susan Stewart, assistant professor of sociology, said the problem of the younger generation leaving Iowa has existed for years.

“Iowa has seen more out-migration [of workers] than an in-migration of workers, mostly because people get educated and want to move to where the opportunities are,” Swenson said.

This type of situation creates a sort of economic vacuum in which more cutting-edge business firms become located elsewhere, causing fewer entry-level jobs and possibly less room for job advancement. In turn, the construction, human service, manufacturing and food service industries move in, finishing the cycle so that a portion of the population out-migrates for an alternative job market which better suits their needs.

Others feel the population trends are better attributed to other factors.

Stewart said the effects of population growth have more to do with fertility rates than just purely economics.

“Some of the less-industrialized countries of the world, such as Africa, have high fertility rates and are experiencing an overpopulation problem,” Stewart said. “Other countries, such as Italy, Spain [and] France have very low or losing fertility rates.”

America has a high fertility rate, but Iowa in general has a low fertility rate, Stewart said.

“Some families are only having one child, which means they aren’t replacing the home demographic,” she said. “In general, Iowa has many older residents than younger, which also contributes to a slow population growth.”

Farming issues are proving to be a problem as well, as it is getting harder to become a single farmer in Iowa with the advent of corporate farms.

“With the onset of the aging population, you see more and more rural schools having to consolidate or shut down and more rural towns dying,” Stewart said.

Iowa’s demographic in general is becoming more diverse, as the Hispanic families start to become the dominate force. School systems have to grow and learn to accommodate the racially diverse student population.