One year, the population of a city was 358,000. Several years later it was 286,400. Find the percent decrease.

Answer 1

To calculate the percent decrease in the population of the city, follow these steps:

1. Determine the initial and final populations:

   • Initial population: 358,000
   • Final population: 286,400

2. Calculate the decrease in population: \[ \text{Decrease} = \text{Initial Population} - \text{Final Population} = 358,000 - 286,400 = 71,600 \]

3. Calculate the percent decrease using the formula: \[ \text{Percent Decrease} = \left(\frac{\text{Decrease}}{\text{Initial Population}}\right) \times 100% \] Substituting the values: \[ \text{Percent Decrease} = \left(\frac{71,600}{358,000}\right) \times 100% \]

4. Perform the calculation: \[ \frac{71,600}{358,000} \approx 0.1994 \] Then multiply by 100%: \[ 0.1994 \times 100% \approx 19.94% \]

Therefore, the percent decrease in the population of the city is approximately 19.94%.