U.S. Census estimates show the state's population grew by nearly 11,000 people in 2007, the largest one-year spike in about a decade.

The estimated 2007 population, as of July, was about 1.77 million residents. That is an increase of about six-tenths of 1 percent over the 2006 population.

While the population jump may be a sign of hope in a state that has struggled with declining populations in rural areas, it still lags the national average.

The estimated increase nationally last year was about 1 percent. The Census estimates the total population in the U.S. is more than 301 million.

Since 2000, the state's population has increased an estimated 3.7 percent, compared to 7.2 percent for the nation as a whole.