Idaho remained one of the nation's fastest growing states in 2008, but the recession slowed that growth dramatically, according to statistics recently released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The agency estimates the state's population grew 1.85 percent between mid-2007 and mid-2008, the sixth-fastest rate among the states but the slowest growth rate for Idaho since 2002 in the aftermath of the last national recession.

The top five fast-growing states were, in order, Utah (2.53 percent), Arizona (2.31), Texas (2.03), North Carolina (2.0) and Colorado (2.0).

"While Idaho's economy has slowed dramatically, it started from one of the strongest bases of any state and the situation, while serious to the people in Idaho, is comparatively better than it is in places like the Midwest, Upper Midwest and the West Coast," said Bob Fick, spokesman for the Idaho Department of Labor. "Whether that continues remains to be seen."

Idaho's population is still going strong, despite the economy.

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