In this chart, the population of each of the six New England states is indexed to 1.0 in 1901 and the population relative to this point is plotted for each subsequent decade.

Connecticut and New Hampshire have experienced the greatest gains in population with head counts in 2007 that are 3.75 and 3.19 times larger than those in 1901, respectively. Conversely, Maine and Vermont grew relatively slowly: in 2007, their population was only 1.8 to 1.9 times greater at the beginning of the century, respectively. For the past century, Connecticut was generally the only state with population growth that outpaced the nation.

The index also provides a sense of the relative speed of growth for each state in each decade. Connecticut, for example, experienced rapid population growth in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, with growth tapering off in recent decades. New Hampshire’s population has grown more rapidly since the 1960s.