Early Thursday morning, population estimates were released by the United States Census Bureau for states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and micropolitan statistical areas across the country.
The news was good for the Buckeye State. With the current estimates, Ohio appears to have halted the outmigration of residents out-of-state, as the state had the largest net in-migration and the smallest domestic migration decrease in over seven years.
Estimates place Ohio with a current 11,658,609 residents, a gain of 36,055 people in the period between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area’s 146,000-population increase last year was the most of any metro area and Maricopa County, Ariz., saw a population increase of nearly 74,000 — the most of any county last year. The statistics provide population estimates and components of change for the nation’s 382 metropolitan statistical areas, 551 micropolitan statistical areas and 3,142 counties.
Closer to home, the news was not quite as rosy. As of July 1, 2017, Richland County had a population of 120,589, compared to 121,167 in 2016. Over the last year, Crawford County joined Richland with a population decrease, while Ashland, Morrow, Huron, and Knox Counties had small increases.
Richland County remains in the top ten counties statewide in total outmigration.
Since 2010, area counties have gained or lost the following population percentages, according to these figures:
- Crawford 4.7% decrease
- Huron 1.9% decrease
- Knox .5 %increase
- Morrow .5% increase
- Ashland .9% increase
- Richland 3.1% decrease
The Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area is solely comprised of Richland County, so those numbers are the same.
Population estimates for cities will be released in the coming weeks.
Source: US Census Bureau
