For the 18th consecutive year, Nevada has grown faster than any other state.

According to the latest estimates from the Census Bureau, the Silver State's population grew by 4.1 percent between July 2003 and July 2004.

Four other western states are on the latest top 10 list, but not California and Hawaii, which were replaced by North Carolina and New Mexico.

However, California is still the nation's most populous place, with 35.9 million people. Texas and New York are distant also-rans with 22.5 million and 19.2 million people, respectively.

Overall, the country's population grew by 1 percent, or 2.9 million people, Census estimates. The total U.S. population as of July 1 was 29.37 million.

But of the 10 fastest growing states, none were in the Northeast or the Midwest. Five are in the West, which now accounts for 23 percent of the country's total population, and five are in the South, which holds 36 percent of the country's denizens. The Midwest has 22 percent; the Northeast, 19 percent.

Together, the top 10 most populous places account for 54 percent of the population.

Besides Nevada, which added 93,000 people to reach the 2.3 million mark, the fastest growing states over the most recent 12-month period were:

Arizona, up165,000, or 3 percent, to 5.6 million; Florida, 398,000, or 2.3 percent, to 17.4 million; Idaho, 26,200, or 1.9 percent, to 1.4 million; Georgia, 153,000, or 1.8 percent, to 8.8 million; Texas, 387,000, or 1.7 percent, to 22.5 million; Utah, 37,000, or 1.6 percent, to 2.4 million; Delaware, 12,200, or 1.5 percent, to 830,000; North Carolina, 120,000, or 1.4 percent, to 8.5 million, and New Mexico, 25,000, or 1.3 percent, to 1.9 million.

Other highlights gleaned from the latest government figures:

• The 10 fastest growers accounted for 49 percent of the national growth during the 12-month period.

• The 10 most populous states are pretty much evenly divided among the four regions. While only one -- California -- is in the West, the other three regions have three each -- New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the Northeast, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan in the Midwest and Texas, Florida and Georgia in the South.

• The West had the fastest growth rate, 1.5 percent, but the South had the largest numerical increase at 1.5 million.

• Only two places -- Massachusetts and the District of Columbia -- lost population during the 12-month period.

Published: December 22, 2004

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.