The report estimates a loss from the 2010 census to July 2014 of 1,065 people to a county population of 48,501 That is the biggest numerical drop of the 99 counties. The drop is 2-point-2 percent and that is the 71st largest percentage drop.
Despite the loss in population, Clinton remains the 11th largest in the state. Links to all of the date included
Clinton Area Chamber Of Commerce Director Nathan Sondgeroth says reversing the population decline and showing growth has already been identified as a priority and was presented as a priority at the recent Clinton County Day at the Iowa Legislature. He said the two top topics were population growth and job growth and those two are connected.
He said population loss occurs over time and reversing that trend will take time. He said it will ‘take all of us and governments at all levels to foster policy that leads people to opt-in to the Clinton area more and more”
Sondgeroth believes the trend can be reversed. He points to some of the upcoming developments of housing in the downtown area and that can be one of the things to help attract people.
Sondgeroth says it will take a community effort to slow the population decline and reverse the trend. The Chamber executive said there is no single person or organization to blame nor can any single person or organization reverse the trend. Sondgeroth said it will take a ‘community wide, sustained effort’ to do things to get the numbers growing over time.
Although the trends of a declining population have been seen for many years, he says there are private and government organizations talking about it and looking at ways to solve it.
Statewide the population had increased every year since 1988. The 2014 estimated is 3,107, 126 and increase of about 60-thouand and 2-percent since the 2010 census. 31 counties showed an increase and almost all of the growth in or near metropolitan areas. Over half (51.4%) of Iowa’s residents in ten counties.
The latest Census Bureau release also includes information about births, deaths, and migration in Iowa and its counties0
Reports and maps can be found at the following links:
http://www.iowadatacenter.org/data/estimates/pop-est-2014
http://www.iowadatacenter.org/data/estimates/2014-county-map
