Here is a New England trivia question. What is the third most-populous state in New England? If you answered "Maine," you'd be correct. But only until April.

New Hampshire, once again the fastest-growing New England state, is on the cusp of surpassing Maine in total population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.

New Hampshire has 1,315,809 residents, the Census Bureau estimates. That's only 647 fewer people than live in all of Maine, which is more than three times the size of New Hampshire.

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Maine added only 1,058 residents last year, for an average of 88 a month. New Hampshire added 3,553 last year, for an average of 296 a month. At that rate, New Hampshire's population will surpass Maine's in four months.

Since 2000, New Hampshire's population has grown by a healthy 6.5 percent. That's nearly double Maine's growth of 3.3 percent. And Maine was the second fastest-growing New England state. Connecticut's population grew by 2.8 percent, Massachusetts' 2.3 percent, Vermont's 2 percent and Rhode Island's an anemic 0.2 percent.

The specific numbers are news, but the general trend is not. New Hampshire remains the fastest-growing state in the region for reasons everyone knows. Or more accurately, everyone should know.

New Hampshire has the lowest overall tax burden in the region -- the second-lowest in the nation. Low taxes, a restrained state government and a high level of local control over issues such as taxation and education policy are immensely attractive features for families and businesses. They have helped keep New Hampshire's economy moving faster than any other in New England, which attracts businesses, which attract people.

Legislators and the governor need to remember this when working to fix the state's enormous budget deficit this year and next. Raising taxes will take us backwards, not forward. We need to build on the good policies that are propelling us past Maine, not become more like the slow-growing states that surround us.