Question: A small town had a population of $960$ people last year.
The population grew to $1200$ people this year.
By what percentage did the population grow
1. **State the problem:** We need to find the percentage increase in population from last year to this year.
2. **Formula for percentage increase:**
$$\text{Percentage Increase} = \left(\frac{\text{New Population} - \text{Old Population}}{\text{Old Population}}\right) \times 100$$
3. **Substitute the values:**
$$\text{Old Population} = 960$$
$$\text{New Population} = 1200$$
4. **Calculate the difference:**
$$1200 - 960 = 240$$
5. **Calculate the fraction:**
$$\frac{240}{960}$$
6. **Simplify the fraction:**
$$\frac{\cancel{240}}{\cancel{960}} = \frac{1}{4}$$
7. **Calculate the percentage:**
$$\frac{1}{4} \times 100 = 25$$
8. **Conclusion:** The population grew by $25\%$ from last year to this year.