First Posted: 3/25/2015
LIMA — A decrease in Allen County’s population change may be more than just people moving away.
Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2014 population estimates.
As of 2014 in Allen County, the population had decreased by 1,324 since 2010, but it’s not entirely attributed to people leaving the area. The decrease in population numbers can be linked to an overall demographic change, said Eric Davis, Coordinator of Strategic Workforce Development with the Allen Economic Development Group.
Demographically, people just aren’t having as many babies, Davis said. “It’s now more critical than ever to retain what we have in terms of our population, but more so, getting those who may have gone away to come back,” Davis said, also emphasizing the need for initiatives such as LINK Lima/Allen County, meant to increase the local workforce, and the economic development groups.
Overall, Davis said he would like to see more people come to Allen County, however in terms of a general population decline, “We’re pretty much right in line with everything that’s happening regionally, statewide and nationally, for that matter,” he said.
In Hancock County, the population is increasing. As of 2014, the county saw an increase of 663 people since 2010.
As for a reason why, its secret to success is “not much of a secret at all,” said Tony Iriti, director of the Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development group.
As the state’s top leader in revenue, Marathon Petroleum Corp. in Findlay has generated a surge of residents moving to the area, Iriti said. As longtime workers begin to retire, younger generations of employees have begun to move into the county.
Nationally, an overall population decrease may be the trend, however in Auglaize County, this notion may not hold water.
“I think we’re pretty atypical in that I know lots of families who have three or four kids,” said Greg Myers, director of the Wapakoneta Area Economic Development Council.
“Ultimately, our goal is to grow our population,” Myers said.
Communities, job opportunities, quality of place and others are factors that help residents want to stay in Auglaize County.
Auglaize County’s population has decreased by 95 people in the last four years, according to the Census.
From 2010 to 2014, Hardin County saw a decrease of 306 people, Logan County saw a decrease of 267 people, Mercer County saw an increase of 64 people, Paulding County saw a decrease of 594 people, Putnam County saw a decrease of 277 people and Van Wert County saw a decrease of 211 people.
