Population in Muskingum County drops

Muskingum County's population has declined slightly since 2010, fueled by people leaving the county, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday.

The county's population has decreased by 0.3 percent, about 256 people, since the 2010 census. However, the county's population increased slightly by 122 people between 2013 and 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The population decline came from more than 500 people leaving the county, which was not offset by babies born during those four years.

Muskingum County's population was 85,818 in 2014 compared with 86,074 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

During that time, five of the surrounding counties also lost population, ranging from a 1.9 percent decline in Noble County to a 0.7 percent decline in Perry County. Licking County's population increased by 1.7 percent over those four years.

The state's population increased by 0.5 percent between 2010 and 2014 — a gain of about 59,700 people. Ohio's growth was fueled by babies born during those four years, which offset the population losses from nearly 51,000 people moving out of the state. Ohio was one of 13 states that loss population to migration over those four years.

Ohio had the seventh smallest growth in the nation. North Dakota had the biggest gains, growing by nearly 10 percent since 2010. West Virginia was the only state to lose population over those four years.

That sluggish growth could be problematic when congressional districts are reapportioned based on 2020 population. Ohio lost two seats following the 2010 census and has lost eight seats since 1973.

Some of Ohio's urban areas increased in population while others dropped. Population in Columbus' Franklin County has increased by 5.8 percent since the 2010 census. Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, increased by 0.5 percent. Akron's Summit County remained the same. However, population declined by 1.5 percent in Lucas County, which includes Toledo, and 1.6 percent in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland.

jbalmert@gannett.com

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