ATLANTA — The U.S. population passed the 300 million mark in 2007 — "an historic threshold" fueled in part by population growth of more than 16 million in SREB states in the last decade, says a new report from the Southern Regional Education Board.
More than half of the nation’s population growth over the next 20 years will be in SREB states, which implies ongoing educational challenges for the region, according to Fact Book Bulletin: SREB States Lead Growth As U.S. Population Tops 300 Million. The population living in SREB’s 16 member states is projected to reach 39 percent of the U.S. total by 2030, the report says.
Dramatic increases in the Hispanic population and in older adults are expected, along with a declining proportion of working-age adults — which could lead to ongoing educational challenges for the South. Fewer adult workers will be available, and states will need to focus much more attention on educating an increasingly minority and low-income population that must help support a rapidly rising number of retirees, the report notes.
The Bulletin looks at expected changes in the region’s population through 2030, including state-by-state projections, and is based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Joe Marks, the director of Education Data Services at SREB, is available to speak with journalists about the report and other data trends in higher education. Please contact SREB Communications. The Fact Book Bulletin is available at www.sreb.org, along with the SREB Fact Book on Higher Education and state-by-state reports on higher education enrollment trends, graduation rates and more.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
