Let's assume that a certain quantity q increases or decreases until it reaches a value q'. Then the absolute change is given by:
[tex]\Delta=q^{\prime}-q[/tex]On the other hand the relative change is given by dividing the absolute change with the original value:
[tex]R=\frac{\Delta}{q}=\frac{q^{\prime}-q}{q}[/tex]In this case the original quantity is the population of Cleveland in 2007 and the increased/decreased quantity is the population of the city in 2017. Therefore we have q=440358 and q'=385525. Then the absolute change is:
[tex]\Delta=q^{\prime}-q=385525-440358=-54833[/tex]The relative change is given by:
[tex]R=\frac{q^{\prime}-q}{q}=-\frac{54833}{440358}=-0.1245[/tex]As a percent the relative change is:
[tex]-0.1245\cdot100=-12.45\text{ \%}[/tex]AnswerThen the answers are:
Absolute change: -54833
Relative change: -12.45%