About half counties in US losing population

For example: Illinois is losing population from 2010-2020 in 93 counties and gaining population in only 9.
Most of the older states are rapidly losing population in most counties.

Losing State Gaining
93 Illinois 9
94 Kansas 11
49 West Virginia 6
7 Connecticut 1
51 New York 11
4 Rhode Island 1
65 Mississippi 17
76 Iowa 23
71 Nebraska 22
62 Ohio 26
47 Pennsylvania 20
23 New Mexico 10
44 Louisiana 20
77 Missouri 38
49 Arkansas 26
9 Vermont 5
43 Alabama 24
53 Michigan 30
48 Oklahoma 29
56 Indiana 36
12 New Jersey 9
30 North Dakota 23
13 Wyoming 10
62 Kentucky 58
43 Minnesota 44
34 Wisconsin 38
62 Virginia 71
13 Alaska 15
21 South Carolina 25
30 South Dakota 36
69 Georgia 90
42 North Carolina 58
23 Montana 33
102 Texas 152
6 Maine 10
30 Tennessee 65
3 New Hampshire 7
5 Nevada 12
7 Maryland 17
16 California 42
17 Colorado 47
3 Massachusetts 11
6 Utah 23
1 Hawaii 4
13 Florida 54
2 Arizona 13
5 Idaho 39
4 Oregon 32
1 Washington 38
0 Delaware 3
0 District of Columbia 1

It is what I said about the fertility rate showing itself now. Smaller places are dying out. In Japan it is far worse, some places are not even bothering to keep schools open.

Remote work is not going to save it though it may slow it. If you can digital nomad you can find a nice, quiet state and county setting yourself up to live like a king instead of scraping by to live in CA, etc.

If about half the counties are losing population, then about half of the counties are gaining or remaining the same. I am not sure what trend is implied by this information.

Quote: JimRockford

If about half the counties are losing population, then about half of the counties are gaining or remaining the same. I am not sure what trend is implied by this information.

Consolidation of people in larger metro areas.

Quote: JimRockford

If about half the counties are losing population, then about half of the counties are gaining or remaining the same. I am not sure what trend is implied by this information.

The overall population showed an increase of 7.4% , or 22.7 million over the preceding decade.The growth rate was the second-lowest ever recorded.

Geographically it is very irregular.

Quote: AZDuffman

Consolidation of people in larger metro areas.

Some states indicate that trend, but the states at the bottom of the list from say North Dakota on down don't.

Quote: Pacomartin

The overall population showed an increase of 7.4% , or 22.7 million over the preceding decade.The growth rate was the second-lowest ever recorded.

Geographically it is very irregular.

So are you saying that since population grew by 7.4%, it is unexpected that half of he counties lost population? I wonder how the distribution looked at times of rapid growth.

Quote: JimRockford

So are you saying that since population grew by 7.4%, it is unexpected that half of he counties lost population? I wonder how the distribution looked at times of rapid growth.

122,775,046 - 1930 US population
331,449,281 - 2020 US population

The fact that some counties lose population despite an overall increase in national population is not a surprise.

Schuylkill county in Pennsylvania near me is a good example. The county is 96.62% White with only 1.11% Latino. Only 26.80% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them. The county peaked in population at the 1930 census at 235,505, and is now down to about 140,000. Basically coal production in the county peaked a century ago, and population has been dwindling ever since. Schulkill's primary town, Pottsville, was the birthplace of the alcoholic, John O'Hara and the model for his fctional town of Gibbsville which was the setting for his novels that were popular sources of 5 film adaptions in the 1950's and early 1960's and starred Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, and Suzanne Pleshette.

At the state level only three states, Illinois, West Virginia, and Mississippi have less population in 2020 than in 2010. Illinois, and West Virginia lost a congressional seat, while Mississippi remained unchanged.

Connecticut was 71.2% Non-Hispanic White in 2010. The state only showed an 0.89% population increase in 2020 (the smallest of all states that gained population) . CT only gained population in Fairfield County which is the most populous of 8 counties. The other 7 counties all lost population. CT did not lose a congressional seat.


I don't know if demographers were suprised at how many counties nationwide lost population, but only about a third of counties lost population from 2000 to 2010. So I personally was a little surprised to see that it was half the counties from 2010 to 2020.

Quote: Pacomartin

Schuylkill county in Pennsylvania near me is a good example. The county is 96.62% White with only 1.11% Latino. Only 26.80% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them. The county peaked in population at the 1930 census at 235,505, and is now down to about 140,000. Basically coal production in the county peaked a century ago, and population has been dwindling ever since.

When you drive thru these kinds of places you can feel the population decline. Little feels "new." Even the Wal-Mart is in need of remodeling. Some people keep their houses up, like Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino" but the rest are just aging.

Quote: Pacomartin

122,775,046 - 1930 US population
331,449,281 - 2020 US population

The fact that some counties lose population despite an overall increase in national population is not a surprise.

Schuylkill county in Pennsylvania near me is a good example. The county is 96.62% White with only 1.11% Latino. Only 26.80% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them. The county peaked in population at the 1930 census at 235,505, and is now down to about 140,000. Basically coal production in the county peaked a century ago, and population has been dwindling ever since. Schulkill's primary town, Pottsville, was the birthplace of the alcoholic, John O'Hara and the model for his fctional town of Gibbsville which was the setting for his novels that were popular sources of 5 film adaptions in the 1950's and early 1960's and starred Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, Joanne Woodward, Elizabeth Taylor, and Suzanne Pleshette.

Feels like they all came to Chester County. There are massive apartment complexes going up everywhere. Traffic is terrible, and it’s impossible to go out for breakfast on a Sunday morning without a 2hr wait.