Population & the Path to Prosperity

For decades, prosperity was treated as a simple equation: growth equals success. More people, more jobs, more wealth. That model is breaking down. Birthrates are falling. Populations are aging. Migration is reshaping regions at speed. And many communities built for perpetual growth are now confronting a very different future.

In this fireside chat, Rotarian Cindy Peterson will sit down with Bradley Schurman to explore how demographic change is quietly redrawing the map of American prosperity—and why population dynamics now sit at the center of economic resilience, social cohesion, and long-term opportunity.

Designed to be candid and accessible, this session connects big demographic forces with the real-world choices leaders face right now. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of why the future of prosperity is less about growth for its own sake—and more about designing communities that are resilient, adaptive, and capable of sustaining opportunity across generations.

Bradley Schurman
Bradley Schurman is a demographic strategist, author, and speaker focused on the future of people and place. He’s the author of The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny (Harper Business, 2022) and the forthcoming The Geography of Prosperity: A New Map of the American Dream (MIT Press, 2027). Bradley advises governments, Fortune 500 companies, and global institutions on how population change—declining birthrates, aging, migration, and technology—will reshape labor markets, consumer behavior, and economic growth. He’s the founder of Human Change, a senior executive advisor to Seconds, and the publisher of Population Next—a newsletter and podcast—where he helps leaders make sense of what’s coming—and what to do about it.

The buffet lunch will be available beginning at 11:30 am. The menu will be: Roast, roasted potatoes, corn, and salad.

The presentation, at the club’s regular weekly meeting, will be held at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls and will begin at noon. All Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club programs are open only to Rotarians and their guests. All programs are subject to the club's Privacy Policy. Local media are invited to attend to record the session.



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