MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- New census numbers show Wisconsin's population grew slightly in the last fiscal year.
Wisconsin Public Radio reports that according to data released in December, the state's population increased by 0.4 percent from July 2016 to July 2017. That's the largest uptick in a single year since 2010.
The state now has a total population of 5.8 million and ranks 30th for annual population growth.
David Egan-Robertson is a demographer with the University of Wisconsin's Applied Population Laboratory. He attributes the increase to fewer people leaving the state.
He says the census estimates that Wisconsin only lost about 2,000 people to domestic migration. The state has seen more people leaving than moving in since the Great Recession began in 2007.
The numbers also show that much of the growth is the result of children being born in the state.
