1. **State the problem:** We need to find the percent change in population from 2000 to 2010. 2. **Formula for percent change:** $$\text{Percent Change} = \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \times 100\%$$ 3. **Identify values:** - Old Value (population in 2000) = 19500 - New Value (population in 2010) = 28000 4. **Calculate the change:** $$28000 - 19500 = 8500$$ 5. **Calculate the fraction:** $$\frac{8500}{19500}$$ 6. **Simplify the fraction by dividing numerator and denominator by 500:** $$\frac{\cancel{8500}^{17}}{\cancel{19500}^{39}}$$ 7. **Calculate the decimal:** $$\frac{17}{39} \approx 0.4359$$ 8. **Convert to percent:** $$0.4359 \times 100\% = 43.59\%$$ 9. **Round to the nearest tenth:** $$43.6\%$$ 10. **Determine increase or decrease:** Since the population increased from 19500 to 28000, this is a **percent increase**. **Final answer:** The population increased by approximately **43.6%** from 2000 to 2010.