Population growth is affected by domestic and international events and domestic and international migration patterns. Domestically, during times of hardship population growth tends to be depressed while periods of prosperity and stability are usually accompanied by faster growth in the population. Conversely, hardship abroad can induce new waves of migration to the United States and thus increase population growth. The data above represent the growth during a given decade. For instance, the growth rate for the 1930s represents the change in the population between 1930 and 1940. Population growth remained low in the 1930s in part due to uncertainty caused by the Great Depression and the lead-up to WWII. However, with victory in hand, economic recovery underway, and thousands of men returning from war, population boomed during the 1940s through the 1960s, an era named the “Baby Boom.” The New England population grew by over 10 percent in every decade during this period. In the following decades, rising female labor force participation, increased ease of contraception, and access to abortions helped drive a decline in fertility. This decline was much more dramatic in New England than the United States as a whole. Population growth in New England fell from roughly 13 percent to 4 percent between the 1960s and 1970s while the U.S. growth rate fell from roughly 13 percent to slightly over 11 percent. The 1980s, however, gave rise to the “Echo Boom” as baby boomers started having children of their own. Population growth has since returned to lower levels experienced in the 1930's and 1970's. It is important to recognize the relatively slower population growth of New England when compared to the U.S. in every decade since the 1930s.