OHIO State's population growth is among lowest in nation

Americans are attracted to the South and West.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Ohioans are leaving for warmer weather, high-tech jobs and lower living expenses, causing the state's population growth to be among the lowest in the nation.
Ohio's population grew more slowly than every place in the nation except North Dakota, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The latest figures show that as of July 1, Ohio's growth rate of 0.2 percent for the previous year was one-fifth the national average of 1 percent.
People leaving for Sun Belt states, better jobs and mountain areas kept Ohio's population number low, experts said.
"People are voting with their feet," said Ken Mayland, a former chief economist for KeyCorp and president of ClearView Economics Inc., a Pepper Pike research firm.
Going south, west
Americans continue flocking to the South and West, with those regions accounting for about three-quarters of the growth in the last year. Nevada was the fastest-growing state, adding nearly 74,000 people, or 3.4 percent, to its population.
Following Nevada on the list of the fastest-growing states were Arizona, Florida, Texas and Idaho. Three new states moved into the top 10 this year: California, Delaware and Hawaii. They bumped Alaska, Oregon and Colorado.
To estimate population, the Census Bureau compared each state's births against its deaths; the number of people moving in from abroad against the number leaving for other countries; and the net gain or loss in residents to other states.
"In Ohio, you have more births than deaths," said Census Bureau spokesman Robert Bernstein. "You have a net gain in international migration. But you're losing people to other states."
All of this amounted to a net population increase in Ohio of 27,099, according to the numbers released Thursday.
Barry Bennett, a population expert with the Ohio Department of Development, said he wasn't surprised by the lagging growth, which he attributed to "languishing job creation."
Not attractive
Mayland said he doesn't see that changing anytime soon because Ohio is not attractive to retirees, tourists or people starting new businesses.
"All the economic development initiatives have not, and will not, change the fundamentals," Mayland said.
"We have a high cost of doing business," he said. "And unless palm trees start growing on the shores of Lake Erie, retirement and tourism aren't going to change."
Every state grew last year except North Dakota, which lost an estimated 74 people and now has a population of just under 634,000.
Washington, D.C., lost almost 5,800 people or about 1 percent of its population of around 563,000.