JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri’s rate of population growth is lagging behind most of the rest of the country.

New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau estimate that Missouri gained about 13,000 residents from July 2011 to July 2012. That translates to a growth rate of 0.2 percent, which ranks Missouri 42nd among all states and the District of Columbia.

Among neighboring states, Missouri’s population grew at a faster rate than only that of Illinois.

North Dakota had the highest growth rate in the nation at 2.2 percent over the past year.

The nation’s overall population grew at a rate of 0.75 percent.

The only states that had an estimated decline in population were Rhode Island and Vermont.

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