The U.S. farm population was 7,806,000 in the 12-month period centered on April 1977. This was 450,000 (or 5.4 percent) lower than in 1976, and 1.9 million (or 19.6 percent) lower than in 1970. For the period 1970-77, the average net loss of farm population through migration and reclassification of residence from farm to nonfarm was 301,000 annually—an average rate of 3.3 percent. Among the Nation's four regions, the South continued to be the heaviest loser. The West exhibited stability in farm population in contrast to the rest of the country.
