Economic crisis slows U.S. population growth
He points to Las Vegas' population boom, which created low-paying jobs that disappeared when the housing market collapsed. By contrast, he says, cities such as Pittsburgh lost population but household wealth went up.
"We're still talking about adding a lot of people," Fulton says. "We know we can't environmentally sustain those people living in sprawled locations. … Local governments are not going to be able to afford sprawl anymore."http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-16/us-population-growth-slows/53157486/1