Runner-up: Rhode Island
Population: 1,052,640
Growth rate: 0.4%
Unemployment rate: 11.6%
Rhode Island's population boomed with double-digit gains every decade through 1930.
But the Great Depression devastated the textile industry, with many factories closing or transferring operations to lower-wage states in the South.
Growth rate: 0.4%
Unemployment rate: 11.6%
Rhode Island's population boomed with double-digit gains every decade through 1930.
But the Great Depression devastated the textile industry, with many factories closing or transferring operations to lower-wage states in the South.
Population growth has been miniscule since 1970: The state has added only 12.5% residents since then. In the past decade, it recorded an increase of fewer than 5,000.
NEXT: #3: Louisiana
Last updated December 21 2010: 1:46 PM ET
