The problem asks to determine if the population of a town increased or decreased between the years 2000 and 2003, and by what percentage, rounded to the nearest 1%.

1. Problem Description

The problem asks to determine if the population of a town increased or decreased between the years 2000 and 2003, and by what percentage, rounded to the nearest 1%.

2. Solution Steps

First, we determine whether the population increased or decreased.

The population in 2000 was 28,

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7. The population in 2003 was 19,

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4. Since 19,244 < 28,347, the population decreased.

Next, we calculate the percentage change in population.

The formula for percentage change is:

$Percentage\ Change = \frac{New\ Value - Old\ Value}{Old\ Value} \times 100$

In this case, the old value is the population in 2000, which is 28,

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7. The new value is the population in 2003, which is 19,

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4.

$Percentage\ Change = \frac{19244 - 28347}{28347} \times 100$

$Percentage\ Change = \frac{-9103}{28347} \times 100$

$Percentage\ Change \approx -0.3211 \times 100$

$Percentage\ Change \approx -32.11\%$

Since we need to round to the nearest 1%, the percentage change is approximately -32%. The negative sign indicates a decrease.

3. Final Answer

Between 2000 and 2003, the population of the town decreased by 32%, rounded to the nearest 1%.