Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 6:34am CST
Missouri and Illinois continue to grow but at well below the national rate, with immigration helping drive growth in other parts of the country while having a far less dramatic influence on the Midwest, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. In Missouri, the population increased by 7 percent between 2000 and 2010. In Illinois, the jump was 3.3 percent. By comparison, the U.S. has grown by 9.7 percent.