Ohio is one of just three states in which population shrank last year — by approximately 11,800 people, according to research from Pew Charitable Trusts. And, according to their research, in the last 10 years it beat only five states for the slow rate of its population growth.

One of those five states was West Virginia.

The research states the population growth was slower nationally in 2021 than in the last 10 years, and this was especially true of the Midwest.

So what is drawing people to states with booming populations, such as Idaho and Utah?

Lawmakers and other public officials must take a look at what some states are doing right if we are to reverse this trend.

Falling back on the way things have always been done is not working.

There must be a willingness to embrace new ideas, to think about the future rather than the past, if our population is to rebound and Ohio is to reach its potential.