Population dips for most cities, county
Staff reporter
Around Marion County, a significant number of houses are for sale. Ask local real estate agents and they'll say it is a "buyer's market." There are more sellers, often people leaving the area, than buyers, new residents moving in.
According to U.S. Census estimates, Marion County and most cities within the county are losing population even as the state experiences a slight increase.
U.S. Census Bureau released its annual report last week. Kansas was ranked 42nd for growth out of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
The report indicated that the state of Kansas had an estimated 0.4 percent growth between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004.
The state's population increased 10,716 to 2,735,502.
Marion County experienced a slight decline from the census taken in 2000, with 62 fewer residents. The 2000 census indicated 13,361 residents, and the July 1, 2003 estimate listed 13,299 county residents.
Cities in the county experiencing growth were Burns and Tampa.
Estimates for Burns showed 10 additional residents, bringing the population to 278 — a 3.6 percent growth.
Tampa estimates indicated an increase of three residents, bringing the population to 147 residents — a 2.04 percent increase.
Lehigh and Ramona remained steady, Lehigh's population at 215, and Ramona's at 94.
The remaining eight cities in the county experienced moderate decreases.
Lincolnville and Lost Springs saw a decrease of one resident each; Durham, two; Florence, four; Goessel, eight; Hillsboro, 15; Peabody, 30; and Marion, 52. Counties with a reduction in population far outnumbered counties with an increase. Of the 105 Kansas counties, only 25 showed an increase.
Johnson County remained the fastest growing in the state with a 7.8 percent increase in the past year. The county boasts a population of 486,515, up more than 35,000 from the previous year.
The next fastest growing county, in a not-so-close second, was Leavenworth, with an increase of 4.2 percent. That county's population increased 2,855 people to 71,548.
An unlikely third-place county was Hodgeman, at 3.2 percent, followed by Franklin and Douglas with 3.1 and 3.0 percent, respectively.
The remaining growing counties were Miami, Butler, Jackson, Pottawatomie, Seward, Gray, Chase, Sedgwick, Jefferson, Harvey, Ford, Linn, Kearney, Anderson, Meade, Shawnee, Crawford, Osage, Saline, and Ottawa.
The biggest losers
Lane County had the highest percentage of loss of population with a 9.7 percent decline. Lane County, located in the western part of the state and one of the smaller counties, saw an out-migration of 209 people, leaving a population of 1,946.
Jewell was a close second, losing 9.4 percent, followed by Republic at -9.0 percent.
Marion County faired better than most but still had a loss of 0.5 percent.
Neighboring counties, cities
In a surprising turnaround, the census report indicated an increase of 2.5 percent or 77 residents in Chase County, increasing the county's population to 3,107 residents.
Butler County showed an anticipated increase of 2.8 percent or 1,643 additional residents. Other counties with increases were Sedgwick, 2.2 percent; Harvey, 1.9 percent; and Saline, 0.3 percent.
Cities near Marion County experienced both growth and shrinkage.
Cottonwood Falls and Strong City in Chase County showed increases of 11 and 14 residents, respectively.
Neighbors to the north did not fair as well. Herington lost 71 residents, leaving the community with an estimated population of 2,492. Overall, Dickinson County came out the same as Marion County, with a 0.5 percent decrease in population.
Abilene contributed to the negative growth by losing 87 residents.
Council Grove also experienced a decrease of 46 residents, leaving a population of 2,275. Overall, Morris County gained 1.8 percent.
Harvey County as a whole experienced moderate growth with 633 additional residents or a 1.9 percent increase.
Newton contributed to the increase by adding 787 new residents to its community, bringing its estimated population to 17,977. Hesston also saw an increase of 105 residents.
Unlike Harvey County, McPherson County saw a slight decrease 208 residents. Population loss in McPherson numbered 39, leaving McPherson with a population count of 13,731 residents.
Other statistics
Nationwide, total population estimates reflected a one percent increase from July 1, 2003, to July 1, 2004. Nearly 3 million more people were estimated in the population count of more than 293 million people.
For the 18th consecutive year, Nevada ranked as the fastest growing state.
Rounding out the remainder of the top 10 were Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Georgia, Texas, Utah, Delaware, North Carolina, and New Mexico.
Of the 10 fastest-growing states from 2003 to 2004, five are in the west, and five are in the south. The South now accounts for 36 percent of the nation's total population, with the West comprising 23 percent; Midwest, 22 percent; and the Northeast, 19 percent.
California remained the most populous state with 35.9 million people. The second and third most-populous states were Texas, 22.5 million, and New York, 19.2 million.
The estimated population for Puerto Rico was 3.9 million, a 17,000-person increase from 2003.
