POPULATION SOARS.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rate of American population growth has soared past the historic high of the World War II baby boom. The U.S. grew by 32.7 million people in the last decade (see "Doubling America," cover story, November/December 2000). Census 2000 reveals that the West, which had the highest immigration influx (especially in California), was also the fastest-growing region, with an increase of 10.4 million and a 19.7 percent gain since 1990. The second fastest-growing region was the South, which added 14.8 million people in the 1990s for a 17.3 percent gain. Nevada was the state with the fastest growth (66.3 percent), followed by Arizona (40 percent), Colorado (30.6 percent) and Utah (29.6 percent).

In an indication that urban sprawl is advancing rapidly, the quickest-growing counties were near such major metropolitan areas as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston and Atlanta. Federal demographer Mark Perry says, "Given the regional population trends of the last decade, it's not surprising that counties and cities with the biggest gains are in the West and the South, and the Northeast had the largest declines." CONTACT: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, [phone], www.census.gov.