This chart depicts the population of each New England state and the nation since 1930. As can be seen by the steeper climb of the U.S. population when compared to the New England population, the nation's population has grown significantly faster than the region's. Consequently, New Englanders now represent a smaller share of the total U.S. population than they did in 1930. In 1930, New England made up 6.6 percent of the U.S. population, this percentage has declined to 4.7 as of 2011. The chart also illustrates each state’s contribution to New England’s total population. Throughout the last century, Massachusetts and Connecticut represented the greatest shares of the region’s population. As of 2011, Massachusetts and Connecticut accounted for 45 percent and 25 percent of the New England population, respectively.