Nebraska gained 11,693 residents in the year ending this past July 1, a growth rate of 0.61 percent. Iowa’s estimated population grew by 12,508 residents, a rate of 0.4 percent.

The United States population grew by more than 2 million to 327,167,434. The nation’s population grew at a rate of 0.62 percent.

Researcher David Drozd with the University of Nebraska’s Center for Public Affairs Research said Nebraska’s growth over the past decade is good news for the state.

“With Nebraska again having an annual growth rate near the U.S. average, it is now almost certain that Nebraska will keep its current three congressional seats after the 2020 census,” Drozd said.

In both Nebraska and Iowa, most of the population growth is in metropolitan areas while rural parts of both states continue to lose residents.

Nebraska’s and Iowa’s populations have both now increased for 31 years in a row. The last decline happened in 1987 during the farm crisis.

Gary Krob, coordinator of Iowa’s State Data Center, said Iowa recorded more births than deaths in the past year and saw more increases in people moving to the state.

Krob said that helped Iowa grow faster than the neighboring states of Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin and Missouri.