Nick Iannelli, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – It may be indicative of a country lurching out of a recession.
The Washington metro area, known for its economic resiliency during the Great Recession, is beginning to slow down when it comes to population growth.
New figures from the Census Bureau show the region added about 89,000 people last year to nearly 6 million, The Washington Post reports.
That is down from 105,000 the previous year, a growth rate drop from 1.9 percent to 1.5 percent.
D.C. fell from being the fourth fastest growing metropolitan area to No. 15, according to the census numbers.
Demographers tell The Washington Post major cities around the nation are recovering economically, adding new jobs and options.
People are being drawn elsewhere and feeling secure enough to move.
Some areas around the District saw a net loss in migration from July 2011 to July 2012, according to the statistics.
In Montgomery County, 3,000 more people moved out than moved in from other parts of the country.
Fairfax County, the most populous in the region, saw a shift of more than 4,900 during that period, The Examiner reports.
Overall, the population rose in both counties and across the metro area due to births and people moving in from other countries.
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