Census: U.S. population growth rising again

WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s population is now increasing a bit faster thanks to an improving economy, but not enough to lift growth above its lowest level since the Great Depression.

New 2012 estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau offer the latest snapshot of the U.S. population, whose growth has slowed dramatically since the recent recession.

“After decades of wars, a depression, immigration surges, baby booms, boomlets and busts, we are entering a new era of modest growth,” said William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution, who analyzed the numbers.

As a whole, the U.S....