Population in Ottawa County drops

Ottawa County's population has declined slightly since 2010, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday.

The county's population has decreased by 0.7 percent, about 274 people, since the 2010 census. However, the county's population remained the same between 2013 and 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The population decline came from more people dying than being born in the area since 2010. That was not offset by about 175 people moving to the county.

Ottawa County's population was 41,154 in 2014 compared to 41,428 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

During that time, Erie, Sandusky and Lucas counties also lost population. Wood County's population increased by 3.3 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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