Question

The population of a small rural town in Iowa went from 5700 people in 1998 to 7945 in 2005. What is the rate of change in the population for this town?
A) -321 per yr
B) 321 per yr
C) 1135 per yr
D) 1825 per yr

Answer 1

First, the total difference of the amount of people living in the town from 1998 to 2005 is 7945-5700 or 2245 people. To find out how many years it took for this growth, we would need to subtract 1998 from 2005 to get 7 years. So, in 7 years, the town gained 2245 people. If we divide 2245 by 7 to get the unit rate, we will find that the change in population is 320.71... people per year, or if rounded, 321 people per year, which is a.

Answer 2

It is -321 that is the correct answer