A modest proposal to save Iowa

By quinersdiner | March 7, 2013

Iowa is dying. The numbers are damning. We’re not replacing ourselves. Our population growth is stagnant. The magic number needed to replace ourselves is 2.1 live births per woman. That’s known as the Total Fertility Rate (TFR). Iowa’s TFR is only 1.98 according to National Vital Statistics. We’re one of 36 states not replacing ourselves. Our population growth is slower than any other state except West Virginia and North Dakota’s, according to the Iowa Fiscal Partnership. The only thing saving us from demographic death are immigrants. In other words, our fair state is experiencing a devastating shortage of …

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